The incoming Democratic majority in Congress appears to be eager to reel in an AI industry that’s been allowed free rein under Donald Trump’s second administration.
On top of a slew of regulations meant to address data center electricity use and AI product liability, Democrats are reportedly eying additional preventative regulations aimed at curbing the tech industry’s excesses before they cause harm.
In a post on social media, Arizona Democratic representative Yassamin Ansari urged that “top of the Democratic agenda on day one needs to be a pause on advanced AI development, regulation of this out of control industry, and a ban on artificial superintelligence.”
Democratic house leader Ted Lieu likewise jumped on the wagon, blasting Republicans during a post-election press conference for letting the “AI industry run wild.”
As the rhetoric flies, a bill being pushed by representatives Greg Casar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, along with senator Bernie Sanders, is gaining steam. Called the Ban Superintelligence Act, the legislation would functionally create a permitting process by which a new cabinet called the Department of Artificial Intelligence would dish out credentials allowing AI labs to work on “advanced” AI.
According to the language of the draft bill, the regulation would require AI labs to give the secretary of the AI agency complete access to their digital and physical infrastructure, including data centers. The secretary’s office would have total authority to define “advanced” AI, with a rolling threshold that can be adjusted as the tech advances.
In addition, the bill would introduce massive penalties for “rogue actors” that fail to comply with the department’s charter, including 20 year prison sentences for the worst offenders and 10 year bans on individual employees from working in the industry altogether.
Whether more moderate Democrats will get behind the Ban Superintelligence Act remains to be seen. But if passed, it would no doubt have major implications for an AI industry which has so far gone unchecked by any higher authority in the United States.
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