Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, are introducing sweeping legislation Wednesday that would permanently ban artificial “superintelligence” and temporarily halt advanced AI development, an effort that has garnered support from several tech industry insiders.
The formal rollout of the legislation and an accompanying statement of support from employees at leading AI firms were first reported by The Associated Press.
The lawmakers’ proposal would establish a new Cabinet-level agency, the Department of Artificial Intelligence, to oversee advanced AI systems. Under the bill, advanced AI development would be paused until the new agency establishes federal safety rules and a model review process, after which advanced systems would be subject to federal approval before deployment.
The legislation would permanently prohibit the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence and impose penalties on people or companies that attempt to violate or circumvent its restrictions. Individuals could face up to 20 years in prison, according to a legislative framework released by Sanders’ office.
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The bill defines artificial superintelligence as systems that surpass human intelligence or possess certain dangerous capabilities, including the ability to subvert shutdown commands.
Multiple employees at leading AI companies, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind, signed a statement supporting the legislation, the AP reported.
“Superintelligence could either go extremely right or extremely wrong,” OpenAI Safety Systems researcher Juan Felipe Cerón Uribe said in a statement supporting the bill obtained by the AP, adding that society “shouldn’t be playing such games.”
“It doesn’t take a genius to say, ‘slow it down,'” Sanders told the AP in an interview.
FOX Business has reached out to Sanders’ and Casar’s office for comment, as well as OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
The legislation comes amid a broader debate in Washington over whether rapid advances in AI require stronger federal safeguards. While some tech leaders have warned about potentially catastrophic risks, President Donald Trump has resisted calls for additional AI regulation and emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in the rapidly developing sector.
Trump reiterated his opposition to new AI regulations during an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, while saying the Justice Department could step in if necessary to rein in the industry.
The prospect of slowing American AI development while China continues advancing has emerged as a central concern among opponents of sweeping restrictions as the two countries compete for technological dominance.
Sanders has argued that avoiding the most dangerous forms of AI will ultimately require international cooperation. His legislation would make it U.S. policy to pursue international agreements, coordination with allies and other measures aimed at preventing the development of artificial superintelligence around the world.
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The Vermont senator has repeatedly compared the challenge to nuclear arms control during the Cold War. In public remarks last week, Sanders called for binding international AI safety rules and urged Trump to negotiate with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a potential pause in advanced AI development and a ban on superintelligence.
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