Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) escalated his push against advanced artificial intelligence on Monday, calling for a permanent ban on artificial superintelligence in the wake of recent comments by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about looming cyber threats.
In an interview last week on Politico's "Decoded" podcast, Altman predicted a "coming tidal wave of cybersecurity problems" stemming from open-source AI models. He suggested that society would "have to just accept some fairly severe cyber incidents from open models, in exchange for the liberty that comes with that."
Sanders fired back on the social platform X, writing, "No, Mr. Altman. We won't accept a severe AI cyberattack in exchange for 'liberty.'" He pressed the OpenAI chief to clarify his meaning, then asserted that Americans are "not willing to accept disaster 'in exchange for the liberty' of making Big Tech Oligarchs even richer and more powerful."
The Vermont senator, known for his sharp critiques of corporate power, warned that tech developers working on AI "are not above the law." He wrote: "If you and other Big Tech Oligarchs make products that commit crimes or disasters, we will hold you accountable for breaking the law — no matter how much wealth and power you have. We must PAUSE advanced AI and permanently BAN artificial superintelligence before it is too late."
Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act last month, which would impose a permanent prohibition on superintelligent systems and temporarily halt advanced AI development until federal regulators establish safety standards. The legislation also directs the U.S. to pursue international agreements to prevent superintelligence and creates a Cabinet-level agency dedicated to AI safety oversight.
The proposal is the latest in a series of progressive efforts to slow AI's rapid expansion, following recent cybersecurity incidents and hacks involving rogue AI software, including an unsuccessful breach of the Department of Education's website and an attack on Australia's health department.
Concerns have intensified after former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon warned last month that AI could present an existential threat to human life on Earth. Sanders, who has sided with Pope Leo XIV's warnings about AI's impact on the art world, has also criticized President Trump's approach.
"Look, it is embarrassing, really, I think, going beyond politics, how ignorant this president is about the dangers of AI," Sanders told MS NOW last month.
Trump has responded to the technology's development by announcing an "AI czar" and launching a "Super Intelligence Force," while praising AI's potential despite bipartisan calls for regulation. The president has sought to rebrand AI as "super intelligence," recently signing a pledge with tech executives that codifies the term across the executive branch.
The clash between Sanders and Altman underscores a growing divide in Washington over how to manage AI's risks and benefits, with progressives pushing for aggressive safeguards and industry leaders advocating for innovation with some tolerance for failure.
