Sanders and Casar Propose Banning Artificial Superintelligence, Days Before Washington Embraced ‘Super Intelligence’

One week before the White House made “Super Intelligence” the official name for AI, two progressive lawmakers proposed banning superintelligence outright, in the original sense of the word.

The bill

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Greg Casar (D-TX), who dubbed it the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, would:

• permanently prohibit artificial superintelligence, defined as systems exceeding human cognitive ability or capable of planning humanity’s destruction or disempowerment;
• pause development of advanced SI until federal safety guidelines exist;
• create a Department of Artificial Intelligence to oversee advanced systems and approve deployments;
• impose penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

“It doesn’t take a genius to say, ‘slow it down,’” Sanders said. Several employees of leading labs publicly endorsed the bill.

Not a ban on “SI”

Because of the rename that followed, headlines like “ban on super intelligence” can mislead. The bill targets hypothetical beyond-human systems, not the everyday technology the government now calls Super Intelligence. Our explainer SI vs superintelligence unpacks the difference.

Prospects

The bill faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Congress and is opposed by the administration, which favours voluntary measures like the SI Accord. Its significance is in putting the question of whether to build superintelligence on the congressional record.

Tracker: Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act · Forecasts: When will superintelligence arrive?