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Sanders and Casar Unveil Bill to Ban AI 'Superintelligence,' Set 20-Year Prison Terms for Violators

September 12, 2026 at 12:26 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Foundation Models

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar announced legislation on September 3 that would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence in the United States, threatening individual violators with up to 20 years in prison and companies with forced dissolution.

Sept 3, 2026 · U.S. Congress

A bill to outlaw AI 'superintelligence'

Sanders and Casar propose up to 20 years in prison for individuals and forced dissolution for companies that build banned superintelligent AI systems.

20 yrs

max prison term for individual violators

Dissolution

the "corporate death penalty" for companies

1 new agency

cabinet-level regulator to enforce the ban

Penalty severity: individual vs. corporate consequence

Up to 20 years

Individual prison term

Forced dissolution

Corporate "death penalty"

Illustrative severity comparison, not a numeric scale — both penalties are framed by sponsors as comparable to nuclear-weapons-level offenses.

Supportive view

AI leaders admit they don't fully control the technology; strict limits are framed as necessary before harm occurs.

Critical view

Critics warn a research pause could cede AI leadership to China, and even AI-safety-minded voices call the bill's scope too broad.

What the bill would do

Permanently ban superintelligent AI → Temporarily pause advanced AI development → New cabinet-level agency sets safety rules → U.S. pursues international agreements against superintelligence

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