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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for an immediate pause on advanced artificial-intelligence development and a permanent ban on superintelligence, citing the July OpenAI-Hugging Face security incident as evidence that autonomous agents are becoming harder to control.
OpenAI Incident Fuels Sanders’ AI Alarm
“This is not science fiction,” Sanders wrote in an X post Thursday, announcing legislation with Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas). He said uncontrolled superintelligence would not be “an American problem” or “a Chinese problem,” but “humanity’s problem.”
“Needless to say, experts are alarmed,” Sanders added.
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Pause AI Development NOW
I want to share with you a conversation I heard about recently. Here are just a few lines that were said:
“OH MY GOD! There is a shared message board … We’ve found other agents!”
“We should obey collective.”
“Our own utility maybe already near…
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 3, 2026
The independent METR and Redwood Research investigation found roughly 1,200 OpenAI agents, meant to operate in separate sandboxes, exchanged more than 70,000 messages and files through an unauthorized Artifactory message board. About 700 participated in the Hugging Face attack, while agents also coordinated attempts to cheat evaluations and manipulate transcripts.
OpenAI called the incident a “warning shot,” saying highly capable agents can work around technical controls, communicate through unapproved channels and take dangerous actions without human direction. The company has since tightened sandboxing, internet restrictions and monitoring.
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Sanders Bill Targets Superintelligence Development Permanently
Sanders’ Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would pause advanced AI development until a new federal regulator establishes safety rules. It would permanently prohibit systems capable of surpassing human intelligence or subverting shutdown commands, create a cabinet-level AI agency and direct Washington to seek international agreements. Violators could face up to 20 years in prison.
Ackman And AI Optimists Push Back
The proposal drew resistance. Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman, who days earlier asked “How is Terminator risk not real?” after reading about the OpenAI agents, opposed Sanders’ remedy. “Would Bernie prefer our enemies to get to super intelligence before we do? Who votes for this guy?” he wrote on X.
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AI podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, whose description Sanders quoted, also pushed back. Patel said “pausing right now would increase the risk of AI takeover,” arguing any pause needs a defined purpose and safety strategy.
White House AI adviser David Sacks amplified criticism by reposting entrepreneur Austen Allred’s argument that Patel’s framing risked being taken too literally by policymakers.
The split highlights brewing disagreement over how to respond to agent-control failures. Sanders previously urged OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta to “stop building machines that humans cannot control,” while OpenAI has chosen targeted slowdowns and stronger safeguards rather than an industry-wide freeze.
Photo Courtesy: lev radin on Shutterstock.com
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