Bernie Buzz

The foundation of artificial intelligence is based on our collective human intelligence: our books, songs, artwork, journalism, computer code, scientific research, videos, conversations, images and ideas spanning generations. Simply put, everything that human beings have produced is being used to train these AI models and, in truth, all that work has been stolen by Big Tech oligarchs.

Please join me for an outdoor town meeting and hike on the Delaware and Hudson Rail trail on Saturday, June 13. We’ll meet at the Vermont State University Castleton Pavillion. Bagels and coffee will be available at 9:30 a.m. with the program kicking off at 10 a.m. After breakfast, we will set off for a three mile out-and-back hike along the rail trail.

Bill grew up skiing to school every day in Guilford, Vermont. From a young age, he loved winter and experiencing the outdoors on skis. He was only 20 when he competed at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics and won silver in the 30 kilometer event. The Soviets dominated the sport, but Bill believed he had a chance to medal. He remembers skiing faster in that race than he ever had before. Six years later, Bill won the overall World Cup title.

AI and robotics are transforming the world as we know it and will impact every man, woman and child in our country. There are some very knowledgeable people who believe that, in scale and speed, the AI revolution will be 100 times more impactful than the Industrial Revolution. This revolution will affect our economy and our jobs, our environment, education, our social relationships and mental health, our privacy, the nature of warfare and our democracy.

Last Wednesday, I led the effort in taking a major step forward in reversing one of the ugliest and most dangerous aspects of American foreign policy. As you may know, I have been trying to stop our government from sending military aid to Israel for several years. A nation that, under the leadership of right-wing extremist Benjamin Netanyahu has committed genocide in Gaza, has started an illegal and horrific war in Iran and has been bombing civilian neighborhoods in Lebanon should not be funded by U.S. tax dollars.

This past Saturday, more than 150 Vermont students, from fourth grade to college and from around the state, joined me at Vermont State University Castleton for a day of workshops and rehearsals, followed by a student discussion on the importance of the arts and a choral concert. All the performances were fantastic, showcasing some truly talented young people. Once again, this event reminded me how impressive the young people in our state are. It also reminded me how committed teachers, parents, caregivers and community members are to ensuring young people have opportunities to participate in the arts.