Lauge Risom Koch 
Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled legislation to permanently ban artificial superintelligence and establish a new federal regulatory agency.
Progressive lawmakers Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar unveiled new legislation aimed at strictly regulating the rapidly advancing technology sector. According to Fortune, the proposed bill would permanently ban the development of artificial superintelligence across the country. The sweeping measure would also establish a dedicated federal agency to oversee the entire industry as some executives urge Congress to impose guardrails.
The legislation defines artificial superintelligence as any system that exceeds human cognitive ability or possesses the capability to disempower humanity. As reported by Fortune, the bill would mandate a temporary pause on all advanced development until the new Department of Artificial Intelligence establishes safety rules. Once operational, the federal agency would require companies to secure official government approval before deploying any highly advanced systems.
Lawmakers designed the bill to include severe legal consequences for developers who attempt to bypass the proposed federal safety regulations. According to Fortune, individuals found violating the restrictions could face significant penalties, including up to 20 years in federal prison in certain cases. Sanders emphasized the need for caution during an interview, stating, “It doesn’t take a genius to say, ‘slow it down.'”
Industry support and political challenges
Despite the severe penalties, the proposed legislation has already garnered notable support from various experts and current employees at major technology companies. As noted by Fortune, Juan Felipe Cerón Uribe, a safety researcher at OpenAI, publicly supported the bill while warning that superintelligence could go extremely wrong. Swante Scholz, a software engineer at Google DeepMind, also endorsed the measure, stating that the most likely outcome of current development is an “existential catastrophe for humanity.”
The ambitious legislative effort faces a difficult political path forward within the current deeply divided federal government. According to Fortune, the bill faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, where lawmakers have consistently struggled to agree on even minor technological regulations. President Donald Trump has actively resisted recent calls for greater government oversight, putting him directly at odds with tech leaders like Elon Musk and Sam Altman.
The escalating debate over technological regulation is rapidly scrambling traditional political alliances and becoming a central issue for voters nationwide. As highlighted by Fortune, the progressive push for strict oversight offers a clear window into Democratic strategies ahead of the November midterm elections. Furthermore, potential 2028 presidential candidates are already rushing to release their own regulatory proposals to demonstrate they take the issue seriously.
Environmental concerns and international cooperation
Beyond existential threats, American citizens are growing increasingly concerned about the tangible local impacts of the booming technology sector. According to Fortune, recent survey data reveals that 53% of Americans are now extremely or very concerned about the environmental impacts of artificial intelligence. This significant increase from 41% last year is largely driven by growing worries over the massive data centers required to power cloud computing.
While progressives push for domestic restrictions, conservatives argue that slowing American development will hand a critical strategic advantage to international rivals. As reported by Fortune, the president recently announced at the United Nations General Assembly that artificial intelligence will be renamed “super intelligence.” Trump remains highly skeptical of sweeping regulations, and Sanders argued that the president is mainly concerned about the economic implications of a slowdown.
The complex issue of technological safety is expected to be a central topic of discussion between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. According to Fortune, Sanders argued that avoiding the most dangerous technological outcomes will ultimately require unprecedented cooperation between the two competing superpowers. Comparing the challenge to Cold War arms control, the senator stated, “Ronald Reagan, arch-conservative, was smart enough to understand that he had to sit down with Gorbachev, a communist, and work out a nuclear treaty that protected humanity.”
