Debate Among Progressives Over AI Regulation Exposes Corporate Power and Capitalist Exploitation
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U.S. progressive groups are grappling with how to confront AI, torn between fighting immediate corporate abuses and addressing long-term existential threats. Some, like Senator Bernie Sanders, call for sweeping federal regulation, while grassroots activists warn against being distracted from the real, present harms caused by unchecked capitalist tech giants.
On September 10, the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) used their Instagram platform to call out the dangers of both AI alarmism and hype, asserting that these narratives serve to obscure the immediate harms being inflicted by powerful tech corporations. The post, crafted by the DSA’s Tech Action Working Group, resonated widely, gaining over 25,000 likes and igniting a spirited debate within the organization about the true priorities for AI regulation.
The progressive movement is at a crossroads: should it focus on reigning in the abuses of AI already being deployed by corporations to exploit workers and communities, or should it be distracted by speculative fears of future superintelligent machines? Alan Dang, a member of Tech Action, was unequivocal: “AI has become the latest tool of capitalist exploitation. The damage that unregulated and misused AI is already causing is clear across the country. As socialists, we don’t trust these corporations to craft their own regulations.”
Yet some left-leaning strategists, echoing Senator Bernie Sanders, insist that both current and future dangers must be confronted. Alexander McCoy, a Democratic AI strategist, argued, “The same people concerned about frontier governance and the development of superintelligence are also addressing those current harms. Those frontier AI abilities are true and increasing in power.”
Sanders has championed AI safety legislation, tying a moratorium on data centers to broader federal regulation aimed at safeguarding humanity’s future. However, this approach has drawn criticism from leading AI researcher Timnit Gebru, who accused left-wing leaders of parroting extreme doomsday narratives that distract from the urgent need to rein in corporate abuses now.
Rumman Chowdhury, founder of the nonprofit Humane Intelligence, pointed out that the focus on AI safety could ultimately serve the interests of powerful frontier labs, as it may simply prompt them to disclose risk assessments during lucrative IPOs. Meanwhile, Pragathi Barusubramanian of the DSA’s Tech Action group stressed that activists on the ground are far more concerned with the immediate impacts of corporate data-center projects and job losses than with abstract existential risks.
Within the broader progressive movement, leaders like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have prioritized the economic and environmental harms of data centers, while recognizing that AI, left unchecked, can be dangerous. As a Politico poll reveals that two-thirds of Americans see some risk of AI destroying humanity, the left’s internal debate remains focused on whether to prioritize fighting corporate exploitation and immediate harms or to be sidetracked by speculative future threats.