NPR Reverses Characterization of Sanders-Bannon Alliance
NPR has made significant changes to an article about Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon's joint call for curbs on AI. The most notable edit is the removal of the phrase 'The poles of American politics are coming together over artificial intelligence' and its replacement with 'But their policy proposals are far apart.' This change significantly alters the tone and emphasis of the article, shifting from a focus on the unexpected unity of Sanders and Bannon to highlighting their differences. This edit matters to readers because it provides a more nuanced understanding of the politics surrounding AI regulation, and shows that while Sanders and Bannon may be on the same page on some issues, their approaches to addressing them are not identical.
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At the same time, lawmakers have been urging House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to pass AI safeguards.
"We cannot put a moratorium on this because China will overlap us, and that's the challenge," Johnson told CNN over the weekend. The bill, known as the Ratepayer Protection Act, is designed to shield Americans from spikes in energy costs tied to the construction of data centers.
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon to share a stage to promote curbs on AI The poles of U.S.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for curbs on AI The rare pairing of a progressive leader and a MAGA voice is a sign of how worries over rapidly advancing AI are upending political alliances.
− politics are coming together over AI.
+ But their policy proposals are far apart.
− Sanders and Bannon will appear at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington, D.C., to convince Congress to work faster to curb the impact of AI.
+ Technology Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for curbs on AI Updated September 15, 20262:39 PM ET Originally published September 15, 20265:00 AM ET By
Maham Javaid
,
Huo Jingnan
The rare pairing of a progressive leader and a MAGA voice is a sign of how worries over rapidly advancing AI are upending political alliances.
− Technology Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon to share a stage to promote curbs on AI September 15, 20265:00 AM ET By
Maham Javaid
Sen.
+ But their policy proposals are far apart.
− Bernie Sanders speaks at Mumford High School on May 3 in Detroit.
+ Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption
Left-wing socialist Bernie Sanders and MAGA strategist Steve Bannon took to the same stage on Tuesday to rail against the AI industry and its leadership, in a sign of how spiraling worries over the rapidly advancing technology are upending political alliances.
− Steve Bannon speaks during the Semafor World Economy Summit 2025 at Conrad Washington on April 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
+ Still, the pair showed little sign of agreement over how the technology should be regulated.
Politics Trump downplays calls for AI slowdown Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, and Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, both appeared at the "Pro-Human Assembly" on Tuesday, alongside a diverse set of speakers calling for curbs on AI development.
Speaking to nearly 300 people packed into a Washington, D.C., ballroom, Sanders raised concerns about AI surpassing human intelligence and escaping human control.
− Sanders credit: Sarah Rice/Getty Images and Bannon credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images hide caption
The poles of American politics are coming together over artificial intelligence.
+ He said he will be introducing legislation to permanently ban the development of "superintelligent" AI, with Congressman Greg Casar, D-Texas, next week.
Understanding AI Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs call for AI development to slow down, OpenAI to delay IPO "Despite living in a so-called democracy, the public has had virtually no input into the AI revolution that's transforming the world," Sanders said.
− Left-wing socialist Bernie Sanders and right-wing strategist Steve Bannon have joined forces to push for more human control over the rapidly evolving technology.
+ "Congress, under both Democratic and Republican control, has been asleep at the wheel, and we now have a president whose ignorance regarding this issue is truly embarrassing."
Sanders said decisions about AI are being made by tech leaders who are motivated by profits, adding that society shouldn't let AI developers continue to improve their products if company leaders admit they are losing control of the technology.
− Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, and Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, will both appear at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, alongside a diverse set of speakers, to convince Congress to work faster to curb the impact of AI.
+ "We have got to move as aggressively as we can," Sanders told NPR's Morning Edition on Tuesday. AI development, he added, is on a "runaway path and we've got to control it."
He said that he hopes President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will negotiate a treaty to pause advanced AI development when they meet at the White House next week.
− Politics Trump downplays calls for AI slowdown The rare pairing of a progressive leader and a MAGA voice is a sign of how AI is upending political alliances.
+ Bannon, who took the stage directly after Sanders, called AI the defining issue of our time and laid out a nationalist approach to the technology. He said tech leaders have money and power but they don't have the public's trust.
− The assembly — an all-day event — is organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group that issued 33 principles in March to guide their pro-human movement.
+ "We're not doomers," he said.
− Those principles include that humans must remain in charge of AI, people should retain agency and liberty and AI companies should be held accountable.
+ "But we aren't gonna give these guys carte blanche. Their arrogance is overwhelming."
He said the U.S. should place curbs on any exchange of chips, tech or knowledge between the U.S. and China.
− The event comes at a time when concerns over the spread of data centers, the growing influence of AI and warnings from AI insiders caused leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI to call for a slow down in AI development to keep the technology under human control.
+ "Kick them out," he said.
+ "Take all Chinese nationals out of the labs and back to mainland China."
The assembly — an all-day event — was organized by the Future of Life Institute, a nonprofit advocacy group that issued 33 principles in March to guide their "pro-human" movement. Those principles include that humans must remain in charge of AI, people should retain agency and liberty and AI companies should be held accountable for the impact of their technology.
Technology Anthropic co-founder says slowing AI is a 'collective action problem' The event comes at a time when concerns over the spread of data centers, the growing influence of AI and warnings from AI insiders caused leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI to call for a slowdown in AI development to keep the technology under human control.
− Understanding AI Anthropic and OpenAI CEOs call for AI development to slow down, OpenAI to delay IPO Johnson has said he supports some guardrails for AI, but it's the companies, not Congress, that should be responsible for policing safety.
+ Johnson has said he supports guardrails for AI, but that companies need to be responsible for policing safety, not Congress.
− "If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American."
Technology Anthropic co-founder says slowing AI is a 'collective action problem' But in a nod to voter angst over AI, the House is slated to vote on legislation as early as Tuesday addressing one slice of the issue — the proliferation of data centers.
+ "If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American."
But in a nod to voter angst over AI, the House is slated to vote on legislation as early as Tuesday addressing one slice of the issue — the proliferation of data centers.
− Even as President Trump has consistently championed AI and data centers, lawmakers and candidates from both sides of the aisle have been speaking to voters' concerns about the risks of AI to society.
+ Even as the Trump administration has consistently championed AI and data centers, lawmakers and candidates from both sides of the aisle have been speaking to voters' concerns about the risks of AI to society.
− But after AI companies called for a slowdown this weekend, Trump quickly retorted that the industry warnings were exaggerated.
+ But after AI companies called for a slowdown this weekend, President Trump quickly retorted that the industry warnings were exaggerated.
− Only on NPR NPR looked for ChatGPT's new crisis feature.
+ "AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday.
− It's hard to find Shots - Health News Their teenage sons died by suicide.
+ He added that the only guardrails needed on AI "is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT." His administration has pushed back against calls for regulation, saying the U.S.
− Now, they are sounding an alarm about AI chatbots "We're leading China in AI, we're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins," Trump told reporters on Sunday.
+ must win the AI race with China.
Only on NPR NPR looked for ChatGPT's new crisis feature.
− "And we can put guardrails, we can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up."
Tuesday's event has also attracted Hollywood stars Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who have advocated for stronger AI controls, as well as religious leaders from various denominations and child safety advocates, including parents of children who died by suicide after talking to AI chatbots.
+ It's hard to find Tuesday's event also attracted Hollywood stars Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who have advocated for stronger AI controls, as well as religious leaders from various denominations and child safety advocates, including parents of children who died by suicide after talking to AI chatbots.
− "By centering our common humanity, we maintain a space grounded in trust and collaborative problem-solving to chart a pro-human future with AI," the organizers wrote at the end of their schedule and speakers' list.
+ "By centering our common humanity, we maintain a space grounded in trust and collaborative problem-solving to chart a pro-human future with AI," the organizers wrote on their event page.