Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called for a permanent ban on artificial superintelligence Monday after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned that society may have to tolerate serious cyber incidents as the price of keeping powerful open models available.

Sanders Rejects Altman's Cyber Risk Tradeoff

Altman told Politico's "Decoded" podcast last week that society faces a "coming tidal wave of cybersecurity problems" and may "have to just accept some fairly severe cyber incidents from open models, in exchange for the liberty that comes with that."

"No, Mr. Altman. We won't accept a severe AI cyberattack in exchange for 'liberty,'" Sanders wrote on X. He said AI developers "are not above the law," adding, "We must PAUSE advanced AI and permanently BAN artificial superintelligence before it is too late."

In his post, Sanders also cited public distrust of tech leaders, noting that "74% of the American people don't trust Big Tech Oligarchs. And for good reason."

Sanders Pushes Broader Pause on AI

Sanders has pushed that position for months. In September, he and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would ban superintelligent systems, pause advanced AI development until federal safety rules exist and create a Cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence. Sanders in a press release announcing the legislation, wrote, "When you are racing towards a cliff, you don't just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes."

He previously called for an immediate AI development pause and later urged President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate a treaty before AI surpasses human control. Sanders also pressed AI executives over political spending against lawmakers seeking tougher rules.

Trump, Johnson Reject Broad AI Moratorium

Trump has taken a sharply different approach. His Sept. 29 executive order directed federal agencies to replace "Artificial Intelligence" with "Super Intelligence," describing the technology as offering "limitless opportunities." Trump has said the Justice Department would watch AI closely but added, "I'm not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution." His administration has favored rapid development and lighter federal restrictions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has likewise rejected an AI moratorium, warning that slowing U.S. development could give China an advantage while saying Washington must "strike the right balance" on safeguards. Johnson has argued against "hyper-regulating" AI.

Public concern remains high. A Reuters/Ipsos poll last Wednesday found 57% of registered voters said the Trump administration was not taking AI risks seriously, while 54% said the same of Congress.