Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act of 2026 (H.R. 10538)

Properties

jurisdiction: US, federal
level: federal
domain: safety
status: proposed
scope: Federal bill that would establish a new Department of Artificial Intelligence, impose a mandatory pause on advanced AI systems pending the Department's staffing and rulemaking, require pre-deployment approval and a developer charter for advanced AI models, and prohibit development or possession of artificial superintelligence or systems with superintelligence precursor characteristics.
obligations: No person may develop, deploy, acquire, possess, fund, import, or transfer artificial superintelligence or AI systems displaying superintelligence precursor characteristics; no person may deploy, release, import, or transfer an advanced AI system without pre-deployment approval from the new Department; no person may develop or distribute an advanced AI model without a charter issued by the Secretary; advanced AI systems are subject to a mandatory pause until the Department is fully staffed and safety rules are established.
effectiveDate: TBD
penalties: Per Section 13 of the bill text: policymakers and rogue actors who violate sections 8, 9, or 12 may be imprisoned for not more than 20 years; non-policymaking individuals who violate those sections may be barred from employment in the artificial intelligence industry for a period of 10 years (with a waiver available for individuals who report violations to the Secretary); the Secretary shall revoke a charter issued under section 12(a) upon a finding of violation; intellectual property and assets of the violating person are subject to forfeiture to ensure safe and complete destruction of the violating system.
appliesTo: Any person or entity that develops, deploys, acquires, possesses, funds, imports, or transfers advanced AI systems or artificial superintelligence in the United States
officialUrl: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr10538ih
notes: Introduced September 24, 2026 by Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), with cosponsors including Ro Khanna; referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Not yet passed by either chamber. Official title: to establish the Department of Artificial Intelligence and to provide for the regulation of advanced artificial intelligence systems, and for other purposes. Distinct from all currently tracked entities, including EO 14409 (voluntary frontier-model information-sharing) and the state frontier-safety laws (ca-sb53, ny-raise-act, il-ai-safety-measures-act, all transparency-and-reporting models): this is the first federal bill proposing a mandatory pre-deployment licensing and charter regime plus an outright ban on superintelligence development. Penalties field independently re-verified against Section 13 of the bill's own HTML text on GovInfo.

Properties

jurisdiction

US, federal

level

federal

domain

safety

status

proposed

scope

Federal bill that would establish a new Department of Artificial Intelligence, impose a mandatory pause on advanced AI systems pending the Department's staffing and rulemaking, require pre-deployment approval and a developer charter for advanced AI models, and prohibit development or possession of artificial superintelligence or systems with superintelligence precursor characteristics.

obligations

No person may develop, deploy, acquire, possess, fund, import, or transfer artificial superintelligence or AI systems displaying superintelligence precursor characteristics; no person may deploy, release, import, or transfer an advanced AI system without pre-deployment approval from the new Department; no person may develop or distribute an advanced AI model without a charter issued by the Secretary; advanced AI systems are subject to a mandatory pause until the Department is fully staffed and safety rules are established.

effectiveDate

TBD

penalties

Per Section 13 of the bill text: policymakers and rogue actors who violate sections 8, 9, or 12 may be imprisoned for not more than 20 years; non-policymaking individuals who violate those sections may be barred from employment in the artificial intelligence industry for a period of 10 years (with a waiver available for individuals who report violations to the Secretary); the Secretary shall revoke a charter issued under section 12(a) upon a finding of violation; intellectual property and assets of the violating person are subject to forfeiture to ensure safe and complete destruction of the violating system.

appliesTo

Any person or entity that develops, deploys, acquires, possesses, funds, imports, or transfers advanced AI systems or artificial superintelligence in the United States

officialUrl

https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-119hr10538ih

notes

Introduced September 24, 2026 by Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), with cosponsors including Ro Khanna; referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Not yet passed by either chamber. Official title: to establish the Department of Artificial Intelligence and to provide for the regulation of advanced artificial intelligence systems, and for other purposes. Distinct from all currently tracked entities, including EO 14409 (voluntary frontier-model information-sharing) and the state frontier-safety laws (ca-sb53, ny-raise-act, il-ai-safety-measures-act, all transparency-and-reporting models): this is the first federal bill proposing a mandatory pre-deployment licensing and charter regime plus an outright ban on superintelligence development. Penalties field independently re-verified against Section 13 of the bill's own HTML text on GovInfo.