NEW: Dr. Abdul El-Sayed Calls For Pausing AI Development 

In A New Interview With The Washington Sun, Abdul Calls For Pause In AI Development To Prevent “Irreversible Damage For Humanity”

Call For Pause Comes In Wake Of Alarming Reports From Anthropic Researchers 

While Abdul Proposes Comprehensive Plan For Protecting Americans And Michiganders From AI, Mike Rogers Looks To Get Rich Off AI And Data Center Development

MICHIGAN –  Following alarming reports from a former Anthropic researcher about the existential threats of AI, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed called for a pause in AI development in a new interview with the Washington Sun: 

“I think now we’re in a situation where time is of the essence,” El-Sayed said Wednesday in an exclusive interview with The Washington Sun. “The speed at which this is all progressing is really quite alarming, considering the fact that they’ve taken on capacities we did not know were previously possible.”

“I think it’s important for us to really hit pause, hit pause in a serious way, and fully understand what it is that is being built when it has so much potential spillover into irreversible damage for humanity,” said Abdul. 

This comes as fears continue to grow around the dangers of AI development, including rogue AI agents hacking without oversight and warnings from Anthropic researchers that some in the company believe AI “could kill us all by the end of the decade.” 

This June, Abdul was one of the first candidates in the country to release a comprehensive plan on AI. In addition to his new call for a pause in development, his AI Under Democracy policy agenda ensures Americans are benefitting from AI development and protected from the risks: 

  • AI Should be Governed Under Democracy: We have to break up Big Tech’s hold on AI to ensure that the public’s best interest is being served. Under Abdul’s plan, a majority of the board seats of frontier AI companies must be either publicly appointed, or democratically elected. 
  • Public Ownership, Public Dividend, Public Investment: Michiganders know what it’s like to have their jobs and industries ripped out from them. We can’t afford to go down that road again. We must institute a per-worker-equivalent tax on AI-driven automation to reinvest in an annual AI dividend, expanded Unemployment Benefits and Wage Insurance, and our communities throughout the state.
  • AI Shouldn’t Be Able to Hurt Us: AI is the single most consequential technology humanity has ever created. It has the opportunity to address some of our most pressing challenges, but it also carries the ability to destroy us economically, socially, and politically. And we cannot just sit back and ignore the risks. Under Abdul’s plan we would establish an independent, FDA-style agency that evaluates the safety of AI models before their deployment.

While Abdul was one of the first candidates in the country to put forth a comprehensive AI safety plan, his opponent Mike Rogers stands to get rich off AI and data centers: 

Rogers’ latest financial disclosure shows millions of dollars in investments in tech companies that could benefit from the data center boom: 

  • Rogers “holds between $1.7 million and $2.6 million in companies” that stand to financially benefit from a “streamlined permitting process for AI-related developments.” 
  • Rogers also holds “between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust” — a real estate giant that is helping “develop a massive 1.6 million square-foot data center” in Saline worth $16 billion 

The Lever also reports that Rogers has raised “nearly $150,000 in campaign cash from a number of individuals with AI and data center investments.” 

  • “Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, staunch Trump supporters and investors in multiple AI companies, together gave $14,000 to Rogers’ campaign”
  • “Seven executives from private equity firm Blackstone donated $34,500, disclosures show.” 

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A son of Southeast Michigan, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is running for US Senate to get money out of politics, put money back in your pockets, and pass Medicare for All. A union member and University of Michigan alum, Abdul is fighting for Michiganders—not billionaires and corporations. Learn more at AbdulForSenate.com