GoKawiilSanders and Casar propose bill banning superintelligent AI with 20-year prison penalties
Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently prohibit building or deploying superintelligent AI and temporarily halt advanced AI development until federal safety rules exist. The bill also calls for a new cabinet-level agency to monitor AI systems for dangerous capabilities and pursue international agreements against superintelligence development worldwide.
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This marks one of the most aggressive legislative attempts yet to preemptively criminalize a technology that doesn't fully exist, treating superintelligent AI development with penalties comparable to illegal nuclear weapons production. It signals growing political appetite to regulate AI labs before self-governance proves adequate, though the bill's prospects in a divided Congress and its practical enforceability remain highly uncertain.
- The bill sets a 20-year prison penalty for developing or deploying superintelligent AI, matching nuclear weapons violation punishments.
- It proposes a new federal agency to monitor AI systems and pause advanced AI development pending safety regulations.
- Sanders and Casar frame the effort as countering unchecked power held by AI companies and 'Big Tech oligarchs.'
Source: techspot.com — Rob Thubron, 2026-09-14
Published there as: “New Bernie Sanders bill would ban superintelligent AI and threaten developers with 20 years in prison”
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