# Sanders: AI is scarier than nukes

> Bernie Sanders wants a permanent ban on superintelligence, with 20 years in prison for anyone who breaks it.
- Title: Sanders: AI is scarier than nukes · CBS News | Shortify
- Summary: Bernie Sanders wants a permanent ban on superintelligence, with 20 years in prison for anyone who breaks it. Sanders is treating runaway AI as a…
- Keywords: ai policy, bernie sanders, regulation, superintelligence, congress, news, Sanders, scarier, nukes, CBS News
- Source: CBS News — https://cbsnews.com/news/bernie-sanders-interview-ai-nuclear-weapons
- Author: Kathryn  Watson
- Published: 2026-09-15T19:14:59+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ai policy, bernie sanders, regulation, superintelligence, congress, news
## Worse than nuclear weapons
Sen. Bernie Sanders told CBS News that AI's potential danger to humanity is probably greater than the threat from nuclear weapons. He said it Tuesday, ahead of a conference speech on AI.

> I think AI, the potential danger of AI, is probably greater than nuclear weapons
## A bill to ban superintelligence
Sanders plans to introduce legislation next week that permanently bans superintelligence, meaning AI smarter than humans and able to escape control. It would also pause advanced AI development.
## Twenty years in prison
The penalty he proposes matches what people face for illegal nuclear weapons development. Sanders called that comparison exactly right: threaten humanity, get punished.

> If you are moving forward on an AI development that could threaten humanity, you should be punished.
## The worry crossed parties
The Pro-Human Assembly drew hard conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Marsha Blackburn alongside Democrats. Speaker Mike Johnson expects to meet Trump and top AI executives at the White House within a week.
## The labs started flinching
Researcher Jacob Coxon resigned from Anthropic warning the technology could one day threaten humanity. Dario Amodei then called for a frontier slowdown, echoed by Sam Altman and Elon Musk. Trump called the whole concern a "HOAX."

> we are losing control of the technology we developed
## Who gets the upside
Sanders uses AI for research and sees real gains in healthcare. His line is that the wealthiest people on the planet cannot regulate themselves, so government has to step in hard.

> And not just allow AI to be developed to benefit the pocketbooks of the wealthiest people on earth.
## Key takeaway

Sanders is treating runaway AI as a weapons-grade threat, and the bill he is drafting would punish it like one.