Sanders and Casar Introduce Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 24, 2026. The legislation proposes a permanent ban on artificial superintelligence, which the bill defines as systems with cognitive capabilities superior to humans or those capable of threatening the federal government or destroying humanity.

To enforce these restrictions, the act would create a cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence. This agency would oversee safety standards, monitor frontier AI systems, and enforce an immediate pause on the development of advanced AI systems trained on 10^25 or more operations until review processes are established. Penalties for violations are severe, including up to 20 years in prison for individuals and a corporate death penalty involving the seizure of assets and loss of corporate charters.

The proposal seeks to establish international agreements and export controls to prevent the development of superintelligence globally. While some researchers from Google DeepMind and OpenAI support the measure, it faces significant opposition in the Republican-controlled Congress. President Donald Trump has resisted oversight, telling the United Nations that the U.S. would encourage the technology and arguing that the nation that wins the race for superintelligence wins.