To the Members of the U.S. Congress:

We, the undersigned, urge you to oppose the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act (S. 5493 / H.R. 10538).

As written, the bill would turn scientific research into a federal crime. Section 13(b) sets penalties of up to 20 years in prison, and Section 13(c) adds a 10-year ban from working in the industry. The bill has no exemption for academic, safety, or alignment research, so the researchers working hardest to make AI safe could be the first ones prosecuted.

Criminalizing research will not stop advanced AI from being developed. It will push the work overseas and out of public view, cost America its scientific leadership, and harm the students, engineers, and small businesses that depend on this field.

There is a better path. We ask Congress to:

• Support voluntary, industry-led safety standards developed with researchers, ethicists, and the public.

• Invest in workforce transition pathways (training, apprenticeships, and new career tracks) so workers can move into the jobs AI is creating, as they did in earlier shifts from the telephone to the internet.

• Protect the freedom to do research, and hold specific harmful conduct accountable through targeted, evidence-based laws.

Please vote no on S. 5493 / H.R. 10538.