# Bernie Sanders AI regulation and safety efforts

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/bernie-sanders-ai-regulation-and-safety-efforts
> Updated: 2026-09-15T19:21:20.000Z. Sources: 41. Developments: 3.

Senator Bernie Sanders has initiated legislative and diplomatic efforts to regulate artificial intelligence and mitigate its economic and existential risks.

Initially, Sanders focused on domestic economic protections, proposing measures such as the AI Data Center Moratorium Act and the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act. He expressed concern that automation could eliminate nearly 100 million US jobs and advocated for a 32-hour workweek to ensure workers benefit from AI-driven productivity.

His efforts subsequently expanded to include international diplomacy. Sanders called upon US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate a treaty to pause the development of advanced artificial intelligence. He specifically advocated for a ban on artificial superintelligence, arguing that while technology executives have called to ‘pace the frontier,’ a more decisive action is required to prevent potential catastrophe, stating that leaders must ‘hit the brakes’ rather than simply easing off the accelerator.

At a Pro-Human Assembly in Washington organized by the Future of Life Institute, Sanders joined political adversary Steve Bannon to advocate for stricter AI controls. Sanders, alongside Congressman Greg Casar, introduced the ‘Artificial Superintelligence Prohibition Act,’ which seeks to permanently ban the development and deployment of superintelligence and establish a federal agency to oversee safety rules and decommission dangerous systems. While Sanders pushed for federal oversight, Bannon emphasized the importance of individual states maintaining their own regulatory frameworks. 

Industry leaders have also engaged in the debate: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that rapid advancements give the world ‘legitimate reason to be concerned’ while expressing confidence in industry self-regulation, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for a slowdown to allow regulators to catch up.

## Claims

- Sanders is proposing the Artificial Superintelligence Prohibition Act to permanently ban the development and deployment of superintelligence. (corroborated by 14 sources)
- AI could eliminate tens of millions of jobs and entire professions. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- AI has been used to create new viruses, posing a bioweapon and pandemic risk. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The proposed legislation includes establishing a federal agency to oversee the monitoring and decommissioning of dangerous AI systems. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Sam Altman stated that the world has a right to be afraid of AI due to the rapid advancement of its capabilities. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Bannon argued that Congress should not pass laws that prevent individual U.S. states from enforcing their own AI regulatory frameworks. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The Pro-Human AI Declaration calls for limiting superintelligence development until scientific consensus on safety and control is reached. (single source)
- A June survey found 77% of respondents are concerned that AI expansion will increase electricity costs. (single source)
- An online survey commissioned by the Future of Life Institute found 80% of U.S. voters favor AI development that prioritizes human control and corporate responsibility. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for strict AI regulation

Political opponents Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon united at a Washington assembly to demand stricter AI regulations and oversight to mitigate existential risks and ensure human control.

32 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bernie-sanders-and-steve-bannon-call-for-ai-regulation

### 2026-09-13: Bernie Sanders urges Trump and Xi to negotiate AI development pause treaty

Senator Bernie Sanders has urged US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate a treaty to pause advanced AI development and ban artificial superintelligence.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bernie-sanders-urges-trump-and-xi-to-negotiate-ai-development-pause-treaty

### 2026-09-09: Bernie Sanders pushes AI regulation and 32-hour workweek

Senator Bernie Sanders is pushing for AI regulation and a 32-hour workweek to protect workers from automation-driven job losses, despite warnings from critics about economic impacts.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/bernie-sanders-pushes-ai-regulation-and-32-hour-workweek

---
Cite as: Bernie Sanders AI regulation and safety efforts. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/bernie-sanders-ai-regulation-and-safety-efforts