If the leaders of the major AI companies admit that they are losing control of their extremely dangerous technology, it is time for an immediate PAUSE on advanced AI development and a permanent BAN on superintelligence. pic.twitter.com/0FQo4risiD

— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 3, 2026

The Washington Post reports:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) called Thursday for the United States to ban so-called artificial superintelligence, saying a summer hacking spree by rogue OpenAI agents had revealed the dangers of the technology getting out of control.

“That incident is a wake-up call for the Congress and the American people in that we have got to act and act now before it’s too late,“ Sanders said in an interview. “I understand that people will call me a Luddite, they will call me an alarmist, but I would rather be called an alarmist than somebody who fell asleep at the switch.”

The two lawmakers plan to introduce a bill that would also immediately hit pause on the development of advanced AI systems until the creation of a new government AI agency to monitor the technology for dangerous capabilities. Companies that don’t comply would face the “corporate death penalty,” meaning they would no longer be able to do business.

Superintelligence is loosely defined potential future form of artificial intelligence that would far surpass the abilities of human thinking — and one that some experts fear would prove difficult to keep tame. While there is deep disagreement about the risks the technology poses and the potential downsides of restricting it, the proposed ban is a sign that the deepest worries harbored by some AI experts are gaining greater purchase in Washington.

“If we allow artificial superintelligence to be built it could risk the security freedom and lives of Americans,” Casar said in an interview. “We need to ban the development of superintelligence so we never get to the place where there are machines that go beyond humans’ ability to shut them down.”

Sanders and Casar have emerged as some of the left’s leading voices on AI in recent months, advocating for restrictions on the technology as its power has grown. Sanders previously introduced legislation to impose a nationwide moratorium on the construction of the data centers needed to run the technology. And Casar, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has urged new taxes on AI companies to guard against economic disruptions. [Continue reading…]