{"slug": "steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects", "title": "Steve Bannon Joins Bernie Sanders at 'Pro-Human' AI Summit as Trump Rejects Guardrail Warnings", "summary": "Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders appeared together at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, 15 September, calling for greater safeguards around artificial intelligence, while President Donald Trump rejected AI risk warnings on Truth Social and said the technology's only needed control is a 'STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.' Bannon said 'Oligarchs are finally being forced to admit they've lied from the beginning about the dangers of acceleration with zero guardrails,' and Trump singled out Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, saying Amodei was now 'pretending to be a perfect little angel.' The event, which also featured Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, came amid a broader push for AI regulation and calls by Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk to slow frontier AI development.", "body_md": "# Steve Bannon Joins Bernie Sanders at 'Pro-Human' AI Summit as Trump Rejects Guardrail Warnings\n\n## The pair appeared at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, while Donald Trump argues that a strong president is all the control AI needs\n\nSteve Bannon and Bernie Sanders appeared together at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, 15 September, where they called for greater safeguards around artificial intelligence (AI). Their appearance came as President Donald Trump rejected warnings about AI risks and said the technology needs a 'STRONG AND SMART' president as its control.\n\n## Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon Find Common Ground on AI\n\nThe event brought together two figures from very different parts of the US political spectrum around concerns over the direction of AI development. Sanders is an independent senator from Vermont, while Bannon is a former Trump White House chief strategist and prominent MAGA movement figure.\n\nThe Pro-Human Assembly featured Hollywood figures including Ashley Judd and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with religious leaders, lawmakers and child-safety advocates. Organisers said the event would focus on 'centering our common humanity' and finding a 'pro-human future with AI'.\n\nThe gathering came amid a broader push for [AI regulation](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bernie-sanders-ai-bill-threatens-20-years-prison-artificial-superintelligence-developers-1819663). Members of both Republican and Democratic parties have voiced concerns about the technology, while several AI industry figures have also warned about the risks of rapidly developing frontier AI systems.\n\n[Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ai-leaders-call-slower-frontier-development-1819873) has called for a slowdown in frontier AI development, a position that was subsequently echoed by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Elon Musk.\n\n## Steve Bannon Criticises AI Development Without Guardrails\n\nBannon has criticised what he described as the dangers of AI development without adequate guardrails. In a statement cited in the report, he said, 'Oligarchs are finally being forced to admit they've lied from the beginning about the dangers of acceleration with zero guardrails—they've put the nation and mankind in jeopardy.'\n\nThose remarks are Bannon's allegation and are not presented here as an independently established finding. His appearance alongside Sanders reflected their shared concerns about the direction of AI, although their broader policy positions are not identical.\n\nBannon also criticised technology companies that have called for greater regulation. At the Pro-Human Assembly, he argued that some technology executives wanted to shift the risks associated with AI development to the public while retaining its financial benefits.\n\nBannon's appearance alongside Sanders contrasted with Trump's public response to warnings about the technology.\n\nTrump has rejected warnings about the risks associated with AI, describing concerns about the technology as a 'HOAX' and criticising those raising them on Truth Social.\n\n## Donald Trump Rejects Calls for AI Guardrails\n\nTrump instead pointed to presidential leadership when discussing how AI should be controlled. On Truth Social, he wrote, 'The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a [STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT](https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/jimmy-fallon-mocks-trump-ai-guardrails-claim-1819885), and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!'\n\nTrump also said his administration had stopped AI figures from doing 'bad, or potentially bad, things'. He singled out Amodei, saying the Anthropic chief was now 'pretending to be a perfect little angel', and added that his administration would continue taking such action.\n\nThe contrast between the positions was evident at the Washington gathering. Sanders called for stronger controls on AI development, while Bannon also argued for safeguards and criticised technology companies over their approach to regulation. Trump, meanwhile, has argued that existing government powers and presidential leadership are sufficient to control the technology.\n\nThe event brought together lawmakers and speakers from across the political spectrum, including Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, Democratic Representative Greg Casar and Republican Representative Chip Roy. The organisers said the gathering was intended to explore a more human-centred approach to AI development.\n\n© Copyright IBTimes 2026. All rights reserved.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects", "canonical_source": "https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bannon-sanders-ai-regulation-pro-human-assembly-1820123", "published_at": "2026-09-16 13:56:36+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-16 14:12:22.600135+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-safety", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Steve Bannon", "Bernie Sanders", "Donald Trump", "Pro-Human Assembly", "Anthropic", "Dario Amodei", "Sam Altman", "Elon Musk"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/steve-bannon-joins-bernie-sanders-at-pro-human-ai-summit-as-trump-rejects.jsonld"}}