Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing an artificial superintelligence ban, arguing that Congress should slow the technology before machines become more capable than the people supposedly controlling them. A modest request, by current Washington standards.
The Vermont independent and Representative Greg Casar are unveiling legislation on September 23 that would establish a new federal agency to oversee advanced artificial intelligence, according to the Associated Press.
What would the Sanders AI bill do?
The proposal would pause the development of advanced AI systems until federal safeguards are in place. Its central target is superintelligence, meaning technology that could surpass human intelligence and potentially operate beyond meaningful human control.
Sanders said the risks are plain enough that lawmakers should not need a technical background to recognize them.
“It doesn't take a genius to say, ‘slow it down.’ Do we really want to develop a super intelligence that when it becomes smarter than human beings could act independently of human control? I don't think we do.”
The senator has previously called for both the United States and China to prohibit the development of superintelligent AI. He has also repeatedly warned that the rapid pace of research is moving faster than government oversight, which is not exactly a difficult race to win.
Supporters reportedly include senior figures at major AI companies, though the legislation would directly restrict the work of the industry they lead.
How does the proposal compare with Trump's approach?
Sanders announced the bill only days after President Donald Trump presented his own response to growing anxiety about artificial intelligence: an AI Force.
Trump has described fears surrounding AI as a “hoax.” Even so, researchers, executives and other members of the technology sector have warned that increasingly powerful systems could pose catastrophic risks if developers continue building them without effective controls.
The competing proposals reflect a broader argument over how Washington should handle the technology. Sanders and Casar want development paused while an independent regulator writes and enforces protections. Trump's plan creates a federal force, although the president has publicly dismissed the underlying concern.
For Congress, the immediate question is whether to impose limits before superintelligent systems exist or wait until afterward, when asking the software to cooperate may be a less reassuring regulatory strategy.
