Sen. Bernie Sanders brought his Fighting Oligarchy tour to Alpena, Michigan, on Monday, October 26, 2026, and opened his remarks on artificial intelligence with a joke at his own expense: “I am not a tech nerd. I have a hard time working the TV at home. But I read, and I’m not dumb.”
The warning behind the joke was serious. Sanders said he has worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a moratorium on data-center construction, and that in the next 10 years, tens of millions of jobs in America could disappear as a result of AI.
The Alpena stop was part of Sanders’ closing swing through battleground states ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Source: Bernie Sanders.
Context
Artificial intelligence has become a live issue in the midterms, as data centers spread across the country and voters weigh promised jobs against higher power bills, water use and the risk of automation. Sanders has taken one of the strongest positions in Washington: he has worked with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a proposed moratorium on new data-center construction until lawmakers can measure the technology’s effect on work. Tech companies argue AI will create more jobs than it removes, a claim Sanders told the Alpena crowd he does not believe. His warning, that tens of millions of jobs could disappear within a decade, has become a central part of the Fighting Oligarchy tour’s closing argument.
