Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) warned that the growing influence of tech billionaires and AI executives in global policymaking reflects a troubling shift away from democratic control, following their participation in G7 discussions.
AI Leaders At G7 Spark Concerns
On Saturday, Khanna amplified his concerns on X, writing: "As we approach our 250th birthday, we did not fight a revolution to be ruled by tech billionaires!"
During an interview with Bill Maher, Khanna reacted to reports that AI industry leaders, including executives associated with OpenAI, Anthropic, Alphabet Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google DeepMind, and Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META), were present at the G7 summit.
"I’m alarmed," Khanna said when asked about their involvement. "We didn’t fight a revolution to be ruled by tech billionaires."
He acknowledged knowing several of the industry figures personally and representing a district heavily tied to Silicon Valley, but said their expanding role in policymaking raises concerns about concentrated private power.
Khanna also reiterated his support for higher taxation on billionaires, arguing that even a modest wealth tax could fund major public programs.
He pointed to proposals such as universal childcare and expanded access to public college.
"They don’t want to pay a few percent tax," he said, referring to resistance from ultra-wealthy tech leaders.
AI Cooperation Push At G7
At the G7 summit, AI leaders, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, called for coordinated AI governance among democratic nations.
European leaders also called for stronger U.S.-Europe cooperation on AI and pushed for tougher safeguards to manage the risks posed by advanced AI systems.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stressed stronger transatlantic cooperation, arguing that the U.S. and Europe should work together to maintain AI leadership while ensuring powerful systems remain safe and trustworthy.
Separately, venture capitalist Tim Draper said investors seeking the next major AI opportunity should look beyond leading model developers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI and focus on application-layer companies building products on top of AI technology.
He argued that the market has largely identified the dominant foundation-model players and that much of the value creation ahead will come from AI applications.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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