Bernie Sanders proposes banning ‘superintelligence’ and putting violators in prison

<figure> <img alt="A photo of Bernie Sanders" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/gettyimages-2294931488.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-casar-introduce-legislation-to-create-new-federal-agency-to-ban-artificial-superintelligence-pause-advanced-ai-development/">have introduced new legislation</a> that would ban anyone from developing artificial superintelligence - a technology the bill describes as capable of the "destruction or disempowerment of humanity," including by overthrowing the government. Under the <a href="https://www.sanders.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Ban-Artificial-Superintelligence-Act.pdf">Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act</a>, AI leaders would face up to 20 years in prison for violating the law.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">The bill doesn't just ban the more powerful artificial superintelligence; it would also pause the development of advanced AI systems, which lawmakers classify as frontier models trained on a specific threshold of data. The law would only …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/999443/bernie-sanders-ai-superintelligence-ban-act">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>