Bloomington, Indiana weighs an ordinance banning artificial superintelligence within city limits
The proposal would bar distributing or deploying ASI in the city and could be lifted only after safety findings and approval by more than 95% of registered voters; a staff memo recommends passing it.
Why it matters
The ordinance defines its target by behaviour: autonomous systems that can modify their own core algorithms, run code outside their initial sandbox or perform complex tasks without continuous human oversight where municipal networks, banking, markets or public safety could be affected. The staff memo calls it a temporary local measure amid state and federal inaction. It follows a federal ASI ban bill from Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar in September and a similar proposal by a British MP. Watch the council vote and any state pre-emption.
Key facts
- Proposed ordinance in Bloomington, Indiana
- Bans distributing or deploying artificial superintelligence in the city
- Lifting it requires safety findings and approval by more than 95% of registered voters
- A staff memo recommends approval
- Follows a federal ASI ban bill introduced in September by Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar