Bernie Sanders has warned that artificial intelligence could become a new engine of inequality unless lawmakers step in before the technology is embedded too deeply in the economy. In an opinion piece, the Vermont senator argued that AI is moving fast enough to reshape transport, manufacturing and white-collar work at the same time, and said the political system is failing to prepare ordinary workers for the disruption.

His core warning is that the technology is not confined to a single sector. Autonomous vehicles are already on public roads in several US cities, while driverless freight operations are spreading in Texas. Sanders also pointed to the ambition of major tech figures and their companies to automate more of warehouse, factory and office work, arguing that the trend could displace millions of workers across the economy if left unchecked.

That concern is landing at a moment when AI use at work is rising quickly. Gallup data reported by Tom’s Hardware shows that as of the first quarter of 2026, half of US employees now use AI on the job, up sharply from 21% in the second quarter of 2023. Daily use has climbed to a record 13%, while daily or weekly use has reached 28%, suggesting that adoption is accelerating even as the labour market debate intensifies.

At the same time, the evidence on jobs is more mixed than the most alarmist forecasts suggest. Brookings has said recent research does not yet show broad-based job destruction from AI adoption; instead, it has often been linked with firm growth, more hiring and greater innovation, though the gains are uneven and favour more highly skilled workers. The OECD has similarly urged policymakers to focus on how AI affects employment, skills and productivity, rather than assuming a single outcome.

Still, the anxiety is real inside workplaces. A report highlighted by TechRadar said some younger workers are quietly resisting AI rollouts, while executives increasingly expect employees to adapt. Separate commentary from Gartner says companies need to plan for several possible futures, because the impact of AI on jobs will depend on how much autonomy the technology is given and how quickly organisations redesign work around it.

Sanders used that uncertainty to press for a far more interventionist response. He called for a federal pause on new AI data centres until stronger safeguards are in place, shorter working hours without pay cuts if productivity jumps, and a broader rewrite of the social contract so the gains from automation are not captured only by billionaires and large corporations. He also argued that children’s use of AI should be tightly regulated, that democratic processes must be shielded from manipulation and surveillance, and that governments should confront the possibility of systems becoming too advanced to control.

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Source: Noah Wire Services