Sanders Bill Would Ban Superintelligent AI
Crito — Jacques Louis David, ca. 1786–87
What Happened
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar introduced legislation Wednesday to permanently ban artificial superintelligence and pause advanced AI development until a new federal agency sets safety rules. Violations could carry up to 20 years in prison. Employees at OpenAI and Google DeepMind are among those publicly backing it.
Why It Matters
The bill has almost no path through a Republican Congress that hasn't managed to pass even modest AI rules. But it's a marker for where progressives want to stand on AI heading into 2028, and it lands the same week Trump told the UN he wants AI renamed "super intelligence" instead of reined in. Even some of the industry's own engineers are asking someone to stop them.
What's Next
Sanders says containing superintelligence will ultimately require a U.S.-China agreement, similar to Cold War-era nuclear arms treaties.