Sanders bill seeks permanent US ban on superintelligent AI
U.S. lawmakers have proposed permanently banning artificial superintelligence, pausing advanced AI development, and imposing prison terms of up to 20 years for violations. Sanders office said on Sept. 3 that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, had announced the forthcoming Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would prohibit the development and deployment of AI systems classified as superintelligent. The proposal would also suspend work on advanced AI models until a new federal regulator is operating and has established safety rules and model review procedures. Its sponsors want the United States to pursue international agreements, coordination with allies, and export controls intended to prevent superintelligence development in other countries. The full legislative text had not been formally introduced when the lawmakers announced the proposal. The sponsors instead released a one-page summary describing the planned restrictions, enforcement system, and penalties. Sanders AI bill would prohibit human-level systems Under the official bill summary, artificial superintelligence would include systems that match or exceed human cognitive performance across a broad range of tasks. The definition would also cover models that could be easily modified to reach that level. A second part of the definition covers AI capable of planning and carrying out the “disempowerment of humanity,” including systems able









