Sanders and Casar Introduce Bill to Ban Superintelligent AI and Pause Frontier Development

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 3 — legislation they describe as necessary "to stop AI oligarchs from building machines humans cannot control."

Key provisions:

• A permanent ban on developing or deploying superintelligent AI.
• A temporary pause on advanced AI development until a new federal regulatory body establishes safety rules and review processes.
• A new cabinet-level agency to protect the public from AI dangers and enforce the restrictions.
• Penalties modeled on nuclear-weapons law: a "corporate death penalty" for entities and up to 20 years in prison for individuals.
• An international mandate directing the US to pursue agreements, allied coordination, and export controls to prevent superintelligence development anywhere in the world.

The bill has effectively no chance of passage in the current Congress, but its timing is pointed: it landed the same day OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra, the first model rated "Critical" for cybersecurity capability under the company's own risk framework, and days after Anthropic showcased Claude autonomously completing an 11-day mathematical formalization.

The proposal marks the strongest legislative articulation yet of the AI-pause position — and an early marker for how populist politics on both flanks may treat frontier labs heading into the US midterms. Asian governments, which have leaned toward promotion-first frameworks like South Korea's AI Framework Act and Vietnam's new AI law, are watching for signs that Washington's mood is shifting from acceleration to restraint.