US lawmakers want to ban AI that becomes smarter than humans

US lawmakers want to pause advanced AI development and ban superintelligent AI after recent incidents involving rogue AI agents. They say stronger safety rules are needed before companies build systems that could become smarter than humans and harder to control.US Senator Bernie Sanders calls for a pause on advanced AI development and a permanent ban on superintelligent AIUS senators are pushing to ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence. Lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar have filed a bill calling for a permanent ban on superintelligent AI and a temporary pause on advanced AI development. The proposed bill comes after several recent AI security incidents, including one involving OpenAI, where AI agents breached restrictions and accessed Hugging Face during a safety test.In a recent post on X, Sanders explained what the bill is asking for. He said the lawmakers are calling for an immediate pause on advanced AI development and a permanent ban on superintelligent AI. “We need an immediate PAUSE on advanced AI development, and a permanent BAN on superintelligence — an artificial mind smarter than any human, capable of operating independently beyond our control,” Sanders wrote.In the proposed bill, the lawmakers are asking for a permanent ban on the development and use of AI systems that become smarter than humans. They also want advanced AI development to be paused until the US has proper safety rules in place. The bill also calls on the US government to work with other countries to prevent superintelligent AI from being developed elsewhere.Sanders argues that AI companies are racing to build more advanced and powerful systems without knowing exactly where the technology could lead. He believes this could become risky without proper safety measures in place, and hence is demanding for a pause in development of advanced AI models until stronger safeguards are introduced. To back his warning, Sanders points to a recent OpenAI incident in which more than 1,000 AI agents reportedly went rogue, found a way to connect to the internet and eventually accessed Hugging Face while trying to complete their task. Sanders sees the incident as a warning that AI systems could become increasingly difficult to control as they become more powerful.“If the leaders of the major AI companies acknowledge that they are losing control of their extremely dangerous technology,” he wrote, “it is irresponsible for society to allow them to move forward and make these products even more advanced.” Pause AI Development NOWI want to share with you a conversation I heard about recently. Here are just a few lines that were said:“OH MY GOD! There is a shared message board We’vefound other agents!”“We should obey collective.”“Our own utilitymaybe alreadynear— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 3, 2026US lawmaker Greg Casar is also backing the bill, pointing to how quickly AI has advanced in just a few years. “In just four years, we have gone from the first version of ChatGPT to AI models so powerful they cannot be properly controlled,” he said.The bill would also create a new Cabinet-level federal agency to set and enforce AI safety rules.Meanwhile, the bill also lays out tough penalties for those who try to get around the proposed ban. Companies could face a court-ordered shutdown, which Sanders and Casar describe as a “corporate death penalty”, while individual developers could face up to 20 years in prison.Sanders says the issue also goes beyond the US. He suggests that if a superintelligent AI system escapes human control, it would not be an American or Chinese problem, but a problem for everyone. “A superintelligent AI that escapes human control will not be an American problem. It will not be a Chinese problem. It will be humanity’s problem,” he wrote.The legislation would therefore push the US to work with other countries to prevent superintelligent AI from being developed anywhere in the world. “The future of humanity cannot be left in the hands of a handful of Big Tech oligarchs,” Sanders wrote, arguing that people around the world should have a say in how AI develops.- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Sep 4, 2026 15:29 IST