Abdul El-Sayed proposes freeze on advanced AI development

Most Senate candidates promise to bring jobs and lower costs. Abdul El-Sayed is promising to hit pause on artificial intelligence. On October 13, 2026, the Michigan Democrat running for US Senate released a policy plan called “AI Under Control.” Its centerpiece is a freeze on building advanced AI models and data centers until new federal regulations exist. What the “AI Under Control” plan actually does The freeze is the headline grabber, but the proposal goes further than a timeout. El-Sayed wants a new safety agency with a seat in the Cabinet. That agency would have real enforcement power. It could inspect AI models, block their release, and shut down models judged to be dangerous. The plan also calls for a ban on recursive self-improvement. That’s the idea of an AI system improving its own design, which could then improve itself again, in a loop that runs faster than humans can review it. The third major piece is an endorsement of the AI Kill Switch Act, listed as H.R. 9917. The bill would give the Department of Homeland Security authority to step in and pause dangerous AI models in critical situations. How El-Sayed is framing the fight El-Sayed is pitching the proposal as a chec...