# 119-s-5493: Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act of 2026

119-s-5493, Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-16).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5493
- As of: 2026-10-16
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5493
- Congress: 119
- Title: Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-16

## Summary

**Creates a standalone Department of Artificial Intelligence with sweeping authority to pause, inspect, and control advanced AI development to protect the public.** This bill would freeze advanced AI work until the department is staffed and safety rules, inspections, and pre-deployment approvals are in place.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Protections for AI whistleblowers: benefit, medium. If enacted, employees and contractors who report AI safety violations would be protected from employer retaliation. Covered individuals could not be fired, demoted, suspended, threatened, blacklisted, harassed, or otherwise punished for reporting or helping investigations.
- New criminal and job penalties: cost, high. If enacted, covered policymaking individuals and rogue actors who recklessly violate the bill could face criminal fines and up to 20 years in prison. Other workers who recklessly violate the rules could be barred from AI industry jobs for 10 years, though the Secretary could waive that ban in some…
- Pauses and restricts advanced AI work: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would impose a mandatory pause on all advanced AI development from enactment until the Secretary says the Department is staffed and rules are in place. Developers would need to file pre-development plans, pass safety audits, and get pre-deployment approval. Any system with prec…
- New charter requirement for developers: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would require anyone who develops or distributes advanced AI to get a charter from the Secretary. Charter-holders would have to give the Department full access to systems, staff, and infrastructure. The Secretary could revoke charters for violations and courts could place intel…
- Creates a new AI department: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would create a Department of Artificial Intelligence led by a President-appointed, Senate-confirmed Secretary. The Secretary would pick an expert advisory board and run AI rulemaking. Department staff would face conflict-of-interest and post-employment limits. The Secretary wou…
- Defines advanced AI and thresholds: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would define what counts as an "advanced" AI system using a computing-power threshold called "10-25." The Secretary would update that threshold each year. The bill would also define "artificial superintelligence" and list precursor traits that trigger stricter oversight.
- Limits federal funding, with exception: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would bar use of Federal funds for activities that violate the Act or its rules. As a narrow exception, the Department could use Federal money for defensive cybersecurity research using certain AI systems that can access secured infrastructure without authorization.

## Related bills

- 119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act
- 119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5493 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5493)

## Related
- [119-s-891: Bipartisan Health Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-891)
- [119-s-2120: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2120)
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-2838: Protecting Our Democracy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2838)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5493 (as of 2026-10-16).