Bernie Sanders' plans to schmooze with top Beijing AI experts ignites backlash: 'Holy sh--'
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is drawing scrutiny for cozying up to Chinese AI governance officials while championing policies that critics say would hamper America’s ability to compete with Beijing in...
By Fox News · Fox News
Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt., is drawing scrutiny for cozying up to Chinese AI governance officials while championing policies that critics say would hamper America’s ability to compete with Beijing in the global artificial intelligence arms race. Sanders, who caucuses with Senate Democrats and is a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, is expected to be speaking at a panel discussion on Capitol Hill Wednesday alongside Xue Lan, a professor at the CCP-funded Tsinghua University and chairman of the Ministry of Science and Technology-backed New Generation Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional Committee. In attendance will also be Zeng Yi, who is the Dean of the Beijing Institute of AI Safety and Governance and is also tied to the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional Committee chaired by Lan. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Max Tegmark, who will also be speaking at the event, indicated the event will focus on "AI existential risk and international cooperation." Critics from the White House, the data center industry, and major tech-policy think tanks have argued Sanders is proposing policies that would slow the construction of the very infrastructure needed to keep the United States ahead in the race for AI dominance. Now, Sanders is facing more heat for holding an event on Capitol Hill with two Chinese Ministry of Science-linked officials who support China's preferred AI governance model. CHINA RACES AHEAD ON AI —TRUMP WARNS AMERICA CAN'T REGULATE ITSELF INTO DEFEAT "I think Senator Sanders’ concerns about AI are overstated, but I respect them. We should be asking questions about child safety, community impact, and economic displacement ," China policy expert at the Hudson Institute, Michael Sobolik, said. "What we shouldn’t do is partner with foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party in those discussions." Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., pointed out that Tsinghua University is "one of China's top universities with…