Call it the Bernie Manifesto, he won’t mind. Last week, Bernie Sanders — who would have been the Democratic candidate for president in 2016 if the Democratic Party had not been under the thumb of the Clintons — wrote in the New York Times on June 1, 2026 that artificial intelligence companies should become public/private partnerships so the benefits — if any there are — would be shared with the citizens of the United States instead of just a half dozen ultra-wealthy white men. Here’s what Sanders had to say:
“Artificial intelligence will almost certainly be the most transformational technology in the history of the world. It will profoundly affect the life of every man, woman and child in our country. It will bring — and is already bringing — unimaginable changes to our economy, our democracy, our emotional well-being, our environment, and how we educate and raise our children. Further, there is a very real fear that as AI becomes smarter than humans it could eventually function independently, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
“The question, then, is not whether AI will change the world. It will. The question is: Who will own and control that future? Who will benefit from it, and who will be hurt by it? Will AI be used to make life better for working families? Will it enrich our quality of life? Will it help us eliminate poverty, extend life expectancies, and solve the climate crisis? Or will the future of humanity be determined by a handful of billionaires who have promoted and developed AI, with virtually no democratic input, who stand to become even richer and more powerful than they are today?”
