President Donald Trump got asked the big AI question this week: what happens if the machines turn on us? His answer, essentially, was not to worry, because we'll always have a way to shut them down. He even had a name for it: a "little gear."

That answer did not land well with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is now calling for a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on artificial superintelligence.

Sanders Calls Trump's AI Answer 'Dangerous'

In an interview with GB News' Bev Turner on Wednesday, Trump suggested humans would always have a way to stop an AI system if it became dangerous, joking that there would be a "little gear" to shut it down.

Sanders pushed back on X, arguing that such a safeguard cannot be taken for granted.

"Trump's ignorance about AI is appalling and extremely dangerous," Sanders wrote. "We must pause development NOW."

Sanders said he plans to introduce legislation targeting artificial superintelligence, reflecting growing concern in Washington over whether humans can reliably control increasingly capable AI systems.

Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) have announced plans for legislation that would ban artificial superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development.

Anthropic Researcher's Warning Fuels Debate

This week, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned and warned that leading AI companies are racing toward self-improving superintelligence without adequately addressing the risks.

Sanders shared it on X and said, "The very people building this technology admit that it could threaten the future of humanity."

Ro Khanna Calls for Tougher AI Rules

Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) also called for stronger federal oversight, citing Anthropic alignment researcher Evan Hubinger's warning about the risk of AI causing human extinction.

Khanna proposed a federal AI agency, mandatory certification for containment and kill switches, liability and insurance requirements for agentic AI, criminal penalties for deploying uncertified models and congressional oversight of AI researchers.

He also called for U.S.-China cooperation on AI safety standards, containment and liability, arguing that global competition should not push companies to sacrifice safety for speed.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.