Sanders, Casar Bill Bans Superintelligence, Adds AI Department
TL;DR
- The bill sets a 20-year prison sentence and corporate dissolution as penalties, matching existing federal law on unlawfully building nuclear weapons.
- Current employees at OpenAI and Google DeepMind publicly endorsed the legislation, a public break from typical industry silence on existential-risk proposals.
- Some AI CEOs argue the bill's ASI threshold has already been crossed, meaning it could function as an effective immediate ban on deployed systems.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 23, legislation that would permanently prohibit AI systems exceeding human cognitive performance across most domains, pause advanced AI development pending federal safety rules, and stand up a cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence to police the frontier. Violators would face a corporate death penalty or imprisonment up to 20 years, comparable to penalties for unlawful nuclear weapons development, according to the announcement from Sanders' office.
'When you are racing towards a cliff, you don't just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes,' Sanders said. 'AI is an existential threat to humanity. It must be treated as such.' Casar framed the risk more graphically: 'AI superintelligence, wielded by the wrong humans or by rogue AI, could kill countless numbers.'
The bill would require firms to submit pre-development plans to the new department and obtain approval before public deployment, Roll Call reported. It would separately ban systems displaying 'superintelligence precursor characteristics,' including the capacity to 'uplift' the design of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, deceive humans, or modify their own functions. The department would also work with the State Department to pursue international agreements banning superintelligent AI.
Sanders told Roll Call it was 'fairly insane' that industry leaders themselves cannot say where the technology is headed. 'If the leaders acknowledge they are losing control it is irresponsible in my view to allow them to move forward and make these products even more advanced,' he said. Rep. Ro Khanna added that 'the American people are deeply concerned about the future of AI and the potential risks.' Brendan Steinhauser of the Alliance for Secure AI gave the sponsors credit for 'taking superintelligence seriously and pushing Congress to act,' but did not endorse the ban itself, calling instead for 'a more measured approach.'
The bill faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Congress that has struggled to coalesce around even less sweeping AI regulations. It lands alongside Chris Hughes proposing a federal 'Office of AI Supervision' in the FT the same day, part of a visible acceleration in our regulation coverage over the past quarter.
What others are reporting
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NBC News Read →
Reports industry expert skepticism that the bill's ASI threshold may already be exceeded by deployed systems, plus Silicon Valley pressure for independent verification bodies as an alternative.
We're dealing with something that humanity has never seen before. It is clearly the most transformational technology.
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PBS NewsHour Read →
Highlights unusual political convergence including Republican voices alongside Democratic supporters, and places the proposal explicitly in the 2028 presidential campaign context.
It doesn't take a genius to say, 'slow it down.'
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Roll Call Read →
Situates the bill against Trump's concurrent UN address declaring 'whoever wins superintelligence wins,' providing the direct counter-narrative that sets its political ceiling in the current Congress.
If the leaders acknowledge they are losing control it is irresponsible in my view to allow them to move forward.
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WCAX / Associated Press Read →
AP wire adds named industry insider endorsements from OpenAI and Google DeepMind employees warning of existential catastrophe, confirming the bill's unusual cross-lab support base.
It doesn't take a genius to say, 'slow it down.'
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Rep. Greg Casar (Official) Read →
House co-introducer's official release providing the House-side framing and Casar's own statement, useful for full legislative record and direct bill text links.
Originally reported by sanders.senate.gov
Read the original article →Original headline: Sanders and Casar Introduce Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, Would Create Cabinet-Level Department of AI