Bernie Sanders' plans to schmooze with top Beijing AI experts ignites backlash: 'Holy sh--'

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is under scrutiny for engaging with Chinese AI governance officials at a Capitol Hill panel discussion on Wednesday. The event included Xue Lan, a professor at Tsinghua University and chairman of China's Ministry of Science and Technology-backed New Generation Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional Committee, and Zeng Yi, Dean of the Beijing Institute of AI Safety and Governance. The discussion, also featuring Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Max Tegmark, focused on "AI existential risk and international cooperation." Critics from the White House, the data center industry, and tech-policy think tanks argue that Sanders' policies, particularly the proposed "Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act," would impede the construction of crucial infrastructure needed for the U.S. to maintain its lead in AI development. This bill, co-sponsored with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in March, seeks an immediate federal ban on new AI data center construction or upgrades until Congress establishes a broader regulatory framework. Sanders has publicly stated the bill is designed to "slow down the development of AI," citing concerns about job displacement, privacy, democracy, the environment, and even the human race. Prominent figures such as Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) have called the moratorium "idiocy," warning it could grant China a competitive edge. Michael Sobolik of the Hudson Institute and Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) have criticized Sanders for collaborating with officials tied to the Chinese Communist Party, which they accuse of aggressively protecting its AI assets and blocking U.S. companies. Cy McNeill of the Data Center Coalition warned that a freeze would risk "rationing access to digital services" and impair U.S. competitiveness. House Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) emphasize that the U.S. should out-innovate China through free-market capitalism rather than implementing restrictive regulations.