A remarkable coalition is forming on the right and left of American politics, united by a shared fury at the corporate titans bankrolling the artificial intelligence revolution. Last week, Senator Bernie Sanders and former White House strategist Steve Bannon addressed the same Washington audience calling for a halt to AI expansion and the sprawling datacentres that power it. Their common cause signals something significant: the technology that was once sold as the future of prosperity is rapidly becoming a symbol of economic injustice.
A Rare Alliance Against Corporate Power
It is not every day that figures from opposite ends of the political spectrum find common ground, yet both Sanders and Bannon used their appearances to lambast the wealthy oligarchs behind the AI industry. Their criticisms cut across the traditional partisan divide, targeting the same corporate elites that have long funded campaigns on both sides of the aisle.
In politics as in nature, one does not bite the hands that feed. For decades, US lawmakers from both parties have avoided confronting the affluent backers that keep them in power. Republicans have instead channelled populist resentment toward immigrants, minority communities, and cultural scapegoats. Democrats, meanwhile, have largely aimed their anger at Donald Trump rather than at the corporate machinery that sustains his allies.
That calculus may be shifting. AI has emerged as Exhibit A in a growing narrative that the American economic system is rigged against ordinary working people.
The Numbers Behind the Discontent
The data paints a stark picture. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of the total American economy going to workers as wages had fallen to a record low of 52.9% by mid-2026 — a dramatic decline from above 65% when the measurement began in 1947. The remaining share flows to investors, business owners, and corporate profits.
AI is on the way to causing far more inequality – generating billions for its backers while reducing the number of jobs and real wages.
Public sentiment reflects this disillusionment. Roughly 70% of Americans oppose datacentres, and more than 60% believe AI could ultimately destroy humanity — a figure that includes 60% of Trump supporters. These are not fringe concerns; they represent a broad-based unease cutting through every demographic and political cohort.
A recent NBC poll found that 54% of Americans agreed with the statement that “when it comes to politics and society, nothing really matters because powerful people will always do whatever they want.” When nearly half the population has effectively given up on the idea that their voices count, something fundamental has shifted in the national conversation.
Political Fallout – Both Sides Feel the Heat
The backlash is reshaping political alignments. Under the Trump administration, corporate America has been given a de facto licence to pursue profit without restraint — permitting energy-guzzling, water-depleting datacentres to spring up across the country, so long as those same corporations fund the president’s political action committee, finance his public events, and sing his praises. The result has been a naked display of corporate avarice that was once concealed behind carefully cultivated narratives of social responsibility and trickle-down economics.
This has driven a significant realignment in how voters perceive the two major parties. In a Times-Sienna poll conducted last week, when likely voters were asked which party the word “elitist” describes, 43% named Republicans while 33% chose Democrats. The findings hark back to an era when Democrats were broadly seen as the party of working people standing against wealthy corporate interests — a perception that prevailed during Franklin D Roosevelt’s time in office.
On the eve of his 1936 re-election campaign, Roosevelt told the American people they were fighting “business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, war profiteering … We now know that government by organized money is just as dangerous as government organized by the mob.” His words resonate powerfully in today’s context.
Yet despite these headwinds, some within the Democratic establishment remain reluctant to capitalise on the moment. According to Politico, several party consultants are quietly advising candidates in competitive midterm races to remain silent on AI, fearing that well-funded pro-AI interest groups could spend heavily to defeat them in the final weeks of the campaign.
The Stakes Ahead
The question now is whether either party will embrace the surge of economic populism that AI has helped to catalyse. The technology has laid bare the extent to which corporate America is willing to sacrifice the welfare of average workers in pursuit of ever-greater profits. Whether politicians respond to that reality — or continue to serve their wealthy donors — will determine the trajectory of American democracy for years to come.
Why it Matters
The convergence of anti-AI sentiment and anti-corporate populism represents one of the most significant political realignments in modern US history. When figures as ideologically opposed as Sanders and Bannon find themselves speaking from the same stage, it is a clear indicator that the prevailing economic order has lost its legitimacy in the eyes of millions. The implications extend well beyond the midterm elections: the way policymakers, regulators, and voters respond to the concentration of AI-driven wealth will shape income inequality, labour markets, and democratic governance for a generation. If American corporations continue to prioritise shareholder returns over worker prosperity, the backlash will only intensify — and the consequences for markets, workplaces, and the social contract itself will be profound.
