Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) accused major tech billionaires of prioritizing profit over workers as artificial intelligence investment accelerates across the industry.
Tech Giants Face Criticism Over AI Power
On Saturday, in a post on X sharing a clip of his interview, Sanders wrote: “Do you think Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are investing in AI to help the working class of this country?”
He added, “No, they’re in it to accumulate even more wealth and power for themselves. We’ve got to make AI work for working people, not just for billionaires.”
During the interview, Sanders said AI and robotics are being pushed by powerful tech executives investing hundreds of billions of dollars.
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He questioned whether corporate leaders are concerned about potential job losses.
“You have to understand that AI and robotics are being pushed. Once again, by these same oligarchs, the same exact people.” Sanders said.
“Do you think that these guys are staying up nights worrying about the working class about the jobs that are going to disappear?”
He added that automation “can work, but it has got to work for human beings, for ordinary people, for the working people, not just for billionaires.”
Do you think Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are investing in AI to help the working class of this country?
No, they’re in it to accumulate even more wealth and power for themselves.
We’ve got to make AI work for working people, not just for billionaires. pic.twitter.com/kaYqQDzscJ
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 20, 2026
Tech Giants Face Political And Regulatory Scrutiny Over AI
Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) planned to invest $65 million in 2026 to back state lawmakers supportive of the AI industry, launching two super PACs to influence policy amid concerns over potential regulations that could limit AI development.
The spending marked its greatest election-related effort and targeted key states like Texas and Illinois, alongside prior political contributions from the company.
Separately, Ireland’s privacy regulator opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok over allegations that it mishandled personal data and generated manipulated sexualized images.
The probe examined compliance with EU data rules after reports surfaced of AI-altered content, prompting further scrutiny from European authorities and Britain’s watchdog.
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This article Bernie Sanders On AI Investment By Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos: ‘They’re In It To Accumulate Even More Wealth And Power For Themselves’ originally appeared on Benzinga.com
