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Proposed legal gate on AI development and deployment
The September 3 proposal for ASI prohibition, an advanced-AI pause and a new federal regulator.
The sponsor summary reaches systems matching or exceeding human cognitive performance across a broad range of tasks, or able to plan and execute human disempowerment, including undermining the US government. It also covers easily modified systems. This is broader wording than the slogan “smarter than every human.”
The summary calls for lifecycle monitoring, dangerous-capability removal, ASI destruction, corporate dissolution and criminal penalties of up to 20 years. It sets an international prohibition goal using agreements, allied coordination and export controls. These are proposed powers, not current law.
The official September 3 release calls the legislation forthcoming. ControlAI says it consulted while acknowledging that Sanders’s advanced-AI pause is broader than its own approach. Its separate discussion draft cannot substitute for the missing congressional text.
The release summary assigns enforcement to an agency and advice to a board. No named Anthropic or closed-weight exemption appears. Introduced statutory text was not recovered in this check; see the linked source-check note for definition and search scope.
Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal → Proposed federal AI regulator — Sanders/Casar
Checked 2026-09-11
The sponsor summary proposes a new agency to enforce the ban, monitor frontier AI, supervise capability removal and destruction, and establish rules and review processes needed to end the pause.
Gary Marcus → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Marcus opposed permanent unilateral prohibition while supporting the need for regulation and considering a temporary pause.
Center for Data Innovation / ITIF → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
ITIF published Daniel Castro's criticism of the proposed ban, urging continued AI development alongside safety work.
September AI pause-and-ban poll → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-09
68% of the weighted web-panel sample supported and 25% opposed the policy bundle described in the question.
Greg Casar → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Casar joined Sanders in announcing the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 3.
Bernie Sanders → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Sanders joined Casar in announcing the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 3.
Civic Shout petition for the ASI ban → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
observed 2026-09-11
Petition calls for enactment, planned committee delivery and follow-up letters to members.
ControlAI → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
Public account 2026-09-09; exact consultation dates not established
ControlAI publicly states it consulted on the Sanders–Casar framework.
First Bill Introduced to Ban Superintelligent AI · Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — sponsor release summary · Stop Big Tech from Building Uncontrollable AI — joint action preview
Read the research & sources ↗Sanders-Casar AI Ban Would Sacrifice American Innovation and Competitiveness, Says ITIF · The new Sanders-Casar Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act – and why I oppose it · Casar Responds to OpenAI, Anthropic, Demands Greater Transparency About Major Security Lapses
Read the research & sources ↗ControlAI → Consulted on announced framework → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
Public account 2026-09-09; exact consultation dates not established
ControlAI publicly states it consulted on the Sanders–Casar framework. Self-attributed participation; no staff correspondence, contract, individual drafter, exact clauses, or sole authorship established. The group's narrower position differs from the framework's advanced-AI pause. Consulting legal entity and payment not identified.
Greg Casar → Jointly announces forthcoming legislation → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Casar joined Sanders in announcing the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 3. An announcement does not establish formal introduction, enactment or votes.
Bernie Sanders → Jointly announces forthcoming legislation → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Sanders joined Casar in announcing the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act on September 3. The source records an announcement of forthcoming legislation, not enactment.
Center for Data Innovation / ITIF → ITIF publicly opposes → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
ITIF published Daniel Castro's criticism of the proposed ban, urging continued AI development alongside safety work. Source attributes statement to ITIF. Existing cdi combines CDI and ITIF; do not attribute statement to former CDI fellow Eva Behrens or infer donor direction.
Civic Shout petition for the ASI ban → Solicits congressional support → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
observed 2026-09-11
Petition calls for enactment, planned committee delivery and follow-up letters to members. Delivery and letters are promised future actions, not observed completion. Petition's 'introduced' wording is not reliable bill-status evidence.
September AI pause-and-ban poll → Tests selected policy components → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-09
68% of the weighted web-panel sample supported and 25% opposed the policy bundle described in the question. Not a legislative coalition, public endorsement of every provision or support measured after respondents saw bill text. Poll omits proposed prison, dissolution, export controls and agency architecture.
Gary Marcus → Publicly opposes breadth → Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal
2026-09-03
Marcus opposed permanent unilateral prohibition while supporting the need for regulation and considering a temporary pause. His characterization of technical scope is an opinion, not an established interpretation of the eventual statutory text.
Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act — Sanders/Casar proposal → Would create cabinet-level AI regulator → Proposed federal AI regulator — Sanders/Casar
Checked 2026-09-11
The sponsor summary proposes a new agency to enforce the ban, monitor frontier AI, supervise capability removal and destruction, and establish rules and review processes needed to end the pause. Proposed powers; no operational regulator or enacted authority established.