Bernie Sanders Saw This Coming

Right.

Well, I’m not so sure that that’s the case.

The truth is nobody knows exactly what is gonna happen. I mean, just to give you one example of it: There are 6, 7, 8 million people who drive trucks, cabs, Uber, Lyft, et cetera, right?

You have been, no doubt, in driverless vehicles.

I’ve been in three or four.

Yeah. I've been in one too.

What'd you think?

Ride ’em. They work very, very well.

They do.

And right now in Texas, you’ve got 18-wheelers that are driverless running down the road. So what happens? Let’s just say that the technology expands to cities and states all over the country. What happens to the 50-year-old guys who are now driving a truck? Where are they gonna go? What jobs are out there? You think they’re gonna go into computer coding? I don't think so.

I doubt it.

Those jobs are gone. Has anyone taken a really hard look at that? I’ll tell you something, it’s even deeper than job loss. You are transforming our relationships with each other, who we are as human beings.

You know, Musk, who lies a lot and is a good salesman.

Who lies a lot.

Lies a lot.

On this, we agree. He lies a great deal.

And he’s a good salesman. You know, he does what he does. But, you know, Musk is the wealthiest, most powerful guy in the world. He says, “Oh, work will be obsolete. AI and robotics will do everything better than you can do it.”

Now, is that half true? Probably. I don’t know. What are you gonna do? What happens to your life? What’s your purpose in life? Your kids, what, are gonna be watching Musk videos all day, and you’re gonna be sitting home while getting a check from who?

We don’t quite know, because if you’re not working, you’re not paying taxes. If you’re not paying taxes, Social Security, Medicare doesn’t exist. Who’s gonna be giving you the check? Are you thinking many of my colleagues in Congress have asked that question? I don’t think so, no. Privacy issues? Every time you’re on the net, somebody’s gonna know something about you.

Go to the doctor, prescription drugs you use, your bank accounts, that will become accessible to somebody. And I’ll tell you something else, just as a politician. It’s happened to me. I don't know if it’s happened to you. Deepfakes are getting very, very sophisticated. Somebody could put words into your mouth, take you right off this show, put different words in your mouth, and most people won’t know the difference.

I actually had a deepfake of myself created just to see what was possible, and then I presented it to the entire company, Condé Nast, which owns WIRED. It was uncanny. It was very funny, but terrifying.

Was it effective?

Everybody thought it was me, and then I walked out on stage. And it was me twice! But obviously, that taken to nefarious ends is a very scary prospect.