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

Senator Bernie Sanders is reportedly planning a jaunt to Beijing to ‘schmooze’ Chinese AI experts. Yes, the same Bernie who wants to freeze US AI data centres is off to trade notes with the state that turned social credit into a party game. The Fox News piece has the decorum to call the backlash 'holy sh--', which is about as refined as this diplomatic dance gets. On the one hand, you're pushing a moratorium to 'pause and reflect'—on the other, you're breaking bread with the politburo's finest AI minds. Consistency is overrated, apparently.

This isn't your typical bipartisan shouting match. Cross-border AI flirtations—especially with Beijing—always carry that extra sheen of hypocrisy. After all, what's a little data sharing between fellow regulators? The Dark nudge is this: while US labs squabble over safety vs. speed, the Chinese don't really ‘schmooze’; they gather intelligence. The senator planning to bond with Beijing's best over AGI alignment is possibly the least ironic part—better that than another former VP giving speeches at a Wuhan think-tank. But holy sh--, indeed.

What's worse: next year's retroactive regulatory dance. If the STABLE Act — which we noted last week took aim at deepfakes and whistleblowers — is still in limbo, Sanders is effectively asking the US to pause unilateral buildout while he trots abroad to see what the Great Firewall has cooked up. Convenient that he's using 'safety-first' to scope enemy protocols. The system isn't embarrassed anymore; just tired of amateur diplomacy.