Sanders, Casar file bill to ban artificial superintelligence
The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would freeze advanced AI development and set penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 23. The bill would permanently prohibit the development and use of artificial superintelligence in the United States, The Decoder reported on Thursday.
It would also freeze the development of advanced AI systems at once, until new federal safety rules exist. A cabinet-level AI agency would write those rules, according to the report. The bill calls for international agreements to prevent superintelligence development worldwide.
The penalties are the unusual part. A company found in violation could be forced to dissolve. An individual could face up to 20 years in prison, a term the bill equates with penalties for illegal nuclear weapons development, The Decoder reported.
Sanders argued that current models already show capabilities that worry him, among them hacking systems and creating viruses. A handful of tech billionaires should not get to write their own rules on existential risk, he said. The full text and a committee referral have not circulated widely, and no assessment of the bill's chances has appeared.