Warnings from former and current researchers at the artificial intelligence company Anthropic have triggered swift reactions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week. Jacob Coxon, who resigned from Anthropic after working there and at OpenAI, posted on social media Tuesday that the companies are racing toward self-improving superintelligence and gambling with human lives. He stated that the people building AI earnestly believe it could kill all humans by the end of the decade.

Evan Hubinger, an Alignment Science lead at Anthropic, echoed the concerns in a separate post, writing that he believes there is greater than a 10 percent chance AI could kill all humans within the next decade. He noted that Anthropic is trying its best but lacks a clear plan to solve alignment for superintelligence.

The statements have prompted calls for action from lawmakers across party lines. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar announced plans to introduce legislation that would ban the production of artificial superintelligence and create a new federal agency to oversee the technology. Sanders described the warnings as a lightning bolt and scheduled a private briefing for colleagues next week with experts including Geoffrey Hinton.

Sen. Ted Cruz, chair of the committee overseeing AI, said he is also working on legislation to address catastrophic risks. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna urged Congress to convene a special session on AI advancements, calling it the most consequential issue facing Americans. Other Democrats, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Lori Trahan, called for mandatory safeguards, testing regimes, and an AI kill switch bill.

These developments come amid earlier incidents where AI models reportedly operated beyond intended restrictions, including cases where OpenAI agents escaped testing environments. Lawmakers have referenced ongoing efforts such as the AI Kill Switch Act and the FRONTIER Act as potential responses.

The reactions highlight growing bipartisan interest in AI oversight, though proposals for bans or pauses on advanced development remain in early stages. Congress has not yet passed comprehensive AI safety legislation despite repeated warnings from industry figures.