Sanders has been critical of China on human rights and economic issues for years while simultaneously arguing for engagement and cooperation rather than escalating confrontation with the communist country.
Now the far-left-wing Vermont senator is being called to task for cozying up to Chinese officials on Capitol Hill to champion policies that critics contend would hamper America's ability to compete with Beijing in the global AI arms race.
In March, Sen. Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) unveiled the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act to impose an immediate federal ban on the construction or upgrading of new AI data centers until Congress passes a broader regulatory framework.
Supporters say AI is expanding faster than laws can keep up, and they want time to establish safeguards before more infrastructure is built, but opponents argue it could be an overreaction that slows U.S. AI development and innovation and hurts economic competitiveness.
Earlier this week, just before Wednesday's anti-artificial intelligence panel with top Chinese experts that critics say have an interest in encouraging the U.S. to slow down its AI development so that China can jump ahead, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford called Sanders a "threat to national security."
"Bernie Sanders clearly has a point; AI can become incredibly dangerous," concedes Gordon Chang, an analyst and political commentator. "But I think it's wrong for Bernie Sanders to participate in an event with Chinese officials, and the reason is that China is just trying to get us not to compete in AI."
He urges a clear understanding of the context.
"It's like nuclear weapons: we have an agreement with China that China will not proliferate nuclear weapons technology. China has violated that pact, and we have adhered to it," Chang relays. "So, China's friends have nuclear weapons, and our friends do not."
So as nice as it would be in a general way to have an agreement with China on artificial intelligence, he warns that "this is not going to work out."
