Bernie Sanders Bill Would Ban AI Superintelligence, Launch AI Agency

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar unveiled legislation on Wednesday that would ban the development of artificial superintelligence, pause advanced AI development and establish a federal Department of Artificial Intelligence to oversee the industry.

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The bill from the two progressive lawmakers marks one of Washington’s most aggressive attempts to slow frontier AI development as companies race to build systems that could exceed human cognitive ability across most domains. Its proposed restrictions would ban “the development of artificial superintelligence” and pause “advanced AI development,” putting the compliance question before companies including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic if their systems cross the bill’s threshold.

Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent senator, and Greg Casar, a Texas Democratic representative, framed the measure as an effort to force a national pause before superintelligent systems are deployed without oversight, according to ABC News. Sanders told the BBC he wants to “slow it down” and has floated a sovereign wealth fund tied to AI gains, according to the BBC.

What The Bill Would Actually Do

The legislation targets artificial superintelligence specifically, a hypothetical class of AI that would surpass human intelligence across most or all cognitive tasks, rather than the large language models currently on the market from companies like OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.

It would create a new Department of Artificial Intelligence to regulate the industry, making enforcement of the proposed development ban and pause the central operational issue for companies pursuing more capable systems.

Long Odds In A Divided Congress

The bill faces steep obstacles given Republican control of both chambers and an administration that has favored looser AI oversight over new federal bureaucracy. Sanders and Casar are positioning the measure as a marker for future debate rather than an immediate legislative win, betting that public anxiety over job losses and unchecked AI power will build pressure over time.

The proposal lands as AI safety researchers and some industry executives have separately warned that superintelligent systems could arrive faster than regulators can respond, giving the bill a policy hook even without near-term passage prospects. No Republican co-sponsors have been named as of the bill’s introduction.