U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Permanently Ban Artificial Superintelligence
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar have introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, proposing a total ban on superintelligent AI, an immediate freeze on advanced models, and prison sentences of up to 20 years for violators.
Sweeping Federal Bill Targets Superintelligent AI
On September 23, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, federal legislation that would enact a permanent ban on the creation and deployment of artificial superintelligence. In addition to outlawing superintelligent systems, the bill mandates an immediate freeze on the development of advanced AI models until a newly formed federal agency can establish enforceable safety guardrails.
Cabinet-Level Oversight and Criminal Penalties
The proposed legislation would establish a new cabinet-level federal AI agency tasked with setting safety rules. To enforce compliance, the bill introduces stringent penalties comparable to those governing illegal nuclear weapons development:
- Individual criminal liability: Individuals who violate the ban could face up to 20 years in prison.
- Corporate dissolution: Companies that breach the law could face mandatory forced dissolution.
The bill's sponsors cited severe existential and security risks as the justification for such strict measures. Sanders warned that current AI systems are already capable of penetrating computer networks, synthesizing novel viruses, and autonomously building other AI tools, even as tech companies invest hundreds of billions of dollars into advanced models. Sanders argued that a handful of tech billionaires should not dictate their own safety rules, while Casar warned that superintelligence could kill countless people, drawing a contrast with Donald Trump's platform of accelerating AI development.
Push for International Proliferation Limits
In addition to domestic prohibitions, the legislation calls on the United States to negotiate international agreements to halt the development of artificial superintelligence worldwide. The push for global accords follows recent discussions in which both American and Chinese experts have floated similar international frameworks to govern high-risk, frontier AI development.
