Senator Bernie Sanders wants to pump the brakes on artificial intelligence, and he's not being subtle about it. On Tuesday, the Vermont independent called for a complete moratorium on new AI data center construction, arguing that the technology's rapid expansion is being driven by billionaires chasing wealth and power rather than any concern for the people who'll bear the costs.
The Billionaire AI Arms Race
In a video posted on X, Sanders framed AI and robotics as "the most transformative technologies in the history of humanity," warning they will impact "every man, woman and child" in the country. But he's worried about who's steering the ship.
Sanders singled out Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos, Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) CEO Mark Zuckerberg, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and Microsoft Corp (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates as the forces pushing AI forward for "more wealth and even more power," not to protect working families.
The senator doesn't think these tech titans are losing sleep over job losses or growing inequality. "I do not believe these very, very rich men" are concerned about the impact on ordinary workers, Sanders said, questioning whether their motivations align with the public interest at all.
When The Robots Take Your Job
Sanders pointed to warnings from the tech leaders themselves to make his case. Musk has said AI and robots could eventually replace all jobs, making work optional. Gates has warned that humans won't be needed for most things. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has suggested AI could wipe out half of entry-level white-collar roles.
These aren't fringe predictions. They're coming from the people building the technology.
"If AI and robotics eliminate millions of jobs and create massive unemployment, how will people survive if they have no income?" Sanders asked. It's a reasonable question, and one he argues Congress isn't seriously grappling with.
Beyond economics, Sanders raised concerns about social isolation, particularly among children who might become emotionally dependent on AI instead of forming real human relationships. He called that potential future "deeply troubling."
The Energy Problem Nobody Wants To Talk About
Sanders' moratorium call centers on the data centers that power AI systems, and the numbers are staggering.
Last week, he noted that Meta is planning a Louisiana facility that could use three times more electricity than the entire city of New Orleans. Taxpayers, he warned, will likely end up footing the bill for the infrastructure needed to support it.
He also pointed to a Texas project tied to OpenAI and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) that could consume enough power for roughly 750,000 homes. Another Meta site could match the electricity needs of 1.2 million households.
Data centers already account for about 5% of U.S. electricity use, according to experts. That figure is projected to climb sharply as AI adoption accelerates across industries. The infrastructure to support this expansion doesn't exist yet, which means massive investments in power generation and grid capacity are coming, whether communities are ready or not.
Who Pays The Price?
The fundamental tension here is between innovation and impact. AI might be transformative, but Sanders is asking who benefits and who pays. If billionaires get richer while workers lose jobs and communities shoulder energy costs, is that progress worth celebrating?
Sanders clearly thinks the answer is no, at least not without guardrails. His moratorium proposal is unlikely to gain traction in a business-friendly Congress, but it's forcing a conversation about whether the AI boom is happening too fast and with too little oversight.
The technology isn't slowing down. The question is whether policy and public debate can catch up before the consequences become irreversible.