Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Greg Casar of Texas are preparing legislation that would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence in the United States.
The Hill reported that the two lawmakers announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on Thursday, citing recent hacking incidents involving so-called rogue AI models as part of their concerns.
The proposal would also temporarily pause the development of advanced AI systems until federal regulators establish safety standards.
Permanent Ban and Temporary AI Pause
The legislation would prohibit the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence, referring to AI systems capable of surpassing the smartest humans.
Several technology executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have said that superintelligence could be approaching.
Alongside the permanent ban, the bill would temporarily halt advanced AI development until federal authorities introduce safety requirements.
The legislation would also direct the US government to pursue international agreements aimed at preventing superintelligence from being developed elsewhere in the world.
New Federal AI Safety Agency
Sanders and Casar also want to establish a new Cabinet-level federal agency responsible for AI safety rules.
The agency would oversee standards governing advanced AI development under the proposed legislation.
The lawmakers argue that stronger federal oversight is necessary because AI systems are advancing faster than existing regulations.
Companies Could Be Forced to Shut Down
The bill proposes significant penalties for people or companies that attempt to bypass the superintelligence ban.
Companies could face what the lawmakers describe as a “corporate death penalty,” under which a court could order a company to shut down.
Individual developers found guilty of violating the ban could face prison sentences of up to 20 years.
Sanders Raises Concerns Over AI Control
Sanders said recent incidents involving AI systems show why development should not continue without stronger safeguards.
“Nearly every day, there is a frightening new story about how Big Tech companies are losing control of the technology they are developing, with potentially cataclysmic results,” Sanders said in a statement.
He argued that leaders of major AI companies have acknowledged that they do not fully understand the systems they are building and said allowing them to develop increasingly capable models without additional controls would be irresponsible.
Casar also pointed to the speed of AI development, saying the technology has advanced rapidly since the release of the first version of ChatGPT.
“In just four years, we have gone from the first version of ChatGPT to AI models so powerful they cannot be properly controlled,” Casar said.
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