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Sanders and Casar introduce bill to ban AI superintelligence, create federal AI agency

The progressive lawmakers' bill would pause advanced AI development and require federal approval before deployment, backed by employees at OpenAI and Google DeepMind.

newest coverage 3h agosummary written 20h ago41 pieces76 likes & upvotes3 comments MastodonNewswiresRedditHacker NewsBlueskyGoogle News

What to know

  • The bill would permanently ban systems defined as exceeding human cognitive ability or capable of planning humanity's disempowerment or destruction.
  • It would also temporarily pause development of the most advanced AI systems until a new Department of Artificial Intelligence establishes federal safety rules, with violations punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
  • The legislation is backed by statements from current employees at companies including OpenAI and Google DeepMind, but faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress.
  • It arrives amid a wave of 2028-oriented Democratic AI proposals, including Wes Moore's regulation plan and Newsom's executive order, and highlights industry leaders' own calls for guardrails that Trump has resisted.

“Do we really want to develop a super intelligence that when it becomes smarter than human beings could act independently of human control? I don’t think we do.”

Bernie Sanders, U.S. Senator · Associated Press (via Philadelphia Inquirer) ↗ · Sep 22

Bernie SandersBernie Sanders U.S. Senator (I-Vt.)Greg CasarGreg Casar U.S. Representative, chair of Congressional Progressive CaucusDonald TrumpDonald Trump U.S. PresidentJuan Felipe Cerón Uribe Researcher, OpenAI Safety SystemsSwante Scholz Software engineer, Google DeepMind

Sanders and Casar introduce bill to ban AI superintelligence, create federal AI agency
Philadelphia Inquirer

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yesterday8 AM4 PMnow · 2:10 AM ET
  1. background

    Wire story frames bill within 2028 Democratic AI positioning — The bill is described as a marker for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party on AI ahead of the midterms and 2028, following Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's AI regulation plan and California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order to accelerate AI implementation, both announced the prior day.

  2. background

    Coverage frames bill against Trump's resistance to AI oversight — Reporting notes Congress has done little to regulate AI despite warnings from industry leaders, and that President Trump has resisted calls for greater oversight, putting him at odds with Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk.

  3. background

    AI company employees publicly endorse the bill — Current employees at leading AI companies, including researchers at OpenAI and Google DeepMind, signed statements supporting the bill, citing existential risk from unchecked superintelligence development.

  4. background

    Sanders and Casar unveil bill to ban superintelligence — The two progressive lawmakers introduced legislation, first provided to the AP, that would permanently ban artificial superintelligence, temporarily pause development of the most advanced AI systems, and create a new Department of Artificial Intelligence to set federal safety rules before deployment.

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