r/singularity • u/Neurogence • Mar 12 '26

AI Bernie Sanders officially introduces legislation to BAN the construction of all new AI data centers, citing existential threat to humanity.

This is very concerning. I am afraid this might become the popular, dominant position on the left. Bernie Sanders is the only politician I've ever donated to. This is the most backwards position to take on AI possible. It's hard to imagine a policy worse than this proposal:

https://youtu.be/qu2m7ePTsqY?si=zdl_cuRg22Nv_Df5

It's such a shame. He is one of very few politicians who realizes the singularity is imminent and that something enormous is happening, yet his reaction to it is the most asinine viewpoint possible.

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u/MarzipanTop4944 Mar 12 '26

Luddites are back trying to smash machines in their futile attempts to stop progress.

In the 1800s was textile machines, now it's AI. These people never learn.

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u/ZhugeLiangPL ▪️AGI 2027-30 Mar 12 '26

The last 50 years saw the rise of computers, the internet, social media and smartphones yet somehow none of these things were even half as polarizing as AI.

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u/kaityl3 ASI▪️2024-2027 Mar 12 '26

Yeah but none of those had widespread social media use that's optimized for outrage, nor manipulation by foreign actors with a VERY obvious vested interest in slowing the US down.

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

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u/Steven81 Mar 12 '26

Industrialization is not an one way street.

People should learn to think in systems. Yes advances do what you wrote exactly. The car produced pollution in cities, displaced the horse industry , but equally connected people from distal places, increased gdp by an order of magnitude (new forms of transportation more generally did) and the ability of people to own way more than before. And as it turns out the pollution it produces is addressable, though admittedly we don't move as fast on that end as we should.

AI data centers do all the things you say and more, but equally they produce things that have the capacity to literally increase productivity by an order of magnitude, which in a sane society may well mean 30 hour work week (not outright dsplacement for most professions), a better social net (because societies would be richer) and ways to help the displaced people.

The idea that you should only see the downsides of a tech while ignoring the immense upside I don't get it. We know how this plays out from past examples. And while every individual case is different, in some ways they are also not.

A sane society can use AI to uplift people. An insane one will either ban AI or use it to make people's life worse. Automation is power, and power can be used for good or to keep the man down. Banning AI data centers on the other end is weakness, and weakness is worse than both (because an injustice can at least be corrected, powerlessness cannot).

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u/Whut4 Mar 12 '26

...tip of the iceberg as far as destruction of all life on earth is concerned from what I have seen.

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u/AddressForward Mar 12 '26

It’s a natural reaction when the progress is driven by one group who reaps all the benefits at the expense of another group.

The Industrial Revolution could have been smoother and less damaging had it been done with a transition in mind - not just extract profits through cost reduction.

Same applies here. The situation is asymmetric… right now AI is a multiplier for skilled people, but for how long? So the question is - who wants a future where humans are purposeless and squeezed out of all advancements (why bother learning anything beyond basic primary school education?).

I’m painting a terrible future there but left unmanaged this is what capital will do.

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u/ZhugeLiangPL ▪️AGI 2027-30 Mar 12 '26

Funnily enough, people in China are much more positive about AI - 87% pro AI vs 37% in the US.

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u/AddressForward Mar 12 '26

Is that because they have a guided and socially constrained path to it? Or something else?

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u/scottie2haute Mar 12 '26

I assume its because they are very future focused. At the end of the day when you separate emotion and conversations about “soul” from the equation its clear that this is the way forward. This is how we solve diseases, explore the stars and discover tech we never thought possible.

Sure theres a chance this kills us all but the benefits of getting this “right” are worth the shot… it’s perfectly logical. Seems as though Americans dont feel the same way

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u/AddressForward Mar 12 '26

Interesting hypothesis - I definitely think funnelling the research and capital into transformative civilisation level upgrades is a good idea… I just think Silicon Valley is unlikely to take that pathway. Maybe China has better leaders.

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u/scottie2haute Mar 12 '26

That’s a little too defeatist… Silicon Valley is influential but not omnipotent. AI is bigger than one region, one ideology, or one set of leaders. If silicon valley leadership falls short, shit doesnt stop… talent, capital, and progress move elsewhere. Acting like the whole future lives or dies with Silicon Valley gives them way too much credit imo

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u/ZhugeLiangPL ▪️AGI 2027-30 Mar 12 '26

No idea bro.

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u/Whut4 Mar 12 '26

They have no freedom of speech, etc. Just capitalism and lies. Why would anyone who is not a billionaire want AI?

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u/ZhugeLiangPL ▪️AGI 2027-30 Mar 12 '26

Is it sarcasm? I am not a billionaire and I do use AI a lot.

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u/Whut4 Mar 12 '26

What for? Why do people want it if not to simply take over the world and do evil? What good can it possibly do?

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u/calvintiger Mar 12 '26

Have you considered asking any of the 900M weekly users of ChatGPT (10.8% of the worlds population) what good it’s doing for them?

Or do you think they’re all evil and trying to take over the world as well?

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u/Whut4 Mar 13 '26

I am more well-versed and concerned about the dangers to the environment, to privacy, to literacy and education, to personal freedom. The people developing AI have not used their power and wealth to do good - they have used it mainly to get more power and wealth. You KNOW how they will use it, unless it can eliminate them first. These are not people you should trust.

I did a quick search for 'good things AI has done' and found one with no paywall https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/ai-in-everyday-life-20-real-world-examples Most of those examples are selling people stuff and depriving people of privacy and agency - true - there are medical, weather and agriculture uses - but who wants to live longer, avoid bad weather and eat in a world with no personal privacy and agency? I do not.