Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced the “Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act,” a sweeping new bill that envisions comprehensive government control over AI and advanced computation. The measure contains some of the most radical interventions ever proposed in any piece of proposed legislation in American history. If enacted, it would have extremely destructive and dangerous consequences for innovation, competition, economic growth, global competitiveness, national security, and freedom of speech.

The bill’s provisions notably include up to 20-year jail sentences for certain violations, an indeterminate “pause” on AI development, and the creation of a new cabinet-level “Department of Artificial Intelligence” tasked with monitoring and controlling the technology. The bill also directs the administration to pursue international agreements with other countries regarding safety standards around AI, potentially implying restrictions on countries that continue to develop these systems outside of international frameworks.

Sanders has previously floated other proposals including the government taking a 50 percent stake in frontier AI companies, and the creation of an AI sovereign wealth fund the proceeds from which would be used to ensure that “economic benefits generated by AI are used to improve the lives of all of us.” Previous R Street essays have noted how these measures, if implemented, would not only stifle innovation and expose the federal government to potentially significant contingent liabilities, but also usher in unprecedented and dangerous control over this cutting-edge technology.