Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy

#1778 AI, the Pentagon, Labor and Capitalism: The Fight Over Who Controls the Future

Mar 19, 2026
Tristan Harris (AI safety advocate), Yoshua Bengio (AI researcher), and labor experts like David Autor (economist) join defense and legal analysts. They debate AI alignment and corporate incentives. They unpack the Anthropic–Pentagon clash over surveillance and weapons. They explore how AI reshapes labor, historical parallels, and policy responses in short, punchy conversations.
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INSIGHT

Market Incentives Drive Companies Away From Safety Work

  • AI companies lack market incentives to invest adequately in safety; their drive is market dominance and speed to AGI.
  • Safety funding (~$150M) is tiny compared to corporate burn rates, so external nudges are needed.
ADVICE

Use Public Pressure To Shift Company Incentives

  • Drive public opinion to change corporate incentives and push governments to regulate AI globally.
  • Tristan Harris and others argue only a global civic awakening and coordinated rules across countries can break the race dynamics.
ADVICE

Educate Yourself And Push For State Level AI Rules

  • Learn the technology and engage in state-level AI regulation efforts if federal action stalls.
  • The show recommends reading Empire of AI and supporting state laws like those passed in New York and California for audits and safety reviews.
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