OpenAI has released a set of policy proposals for managing the economic shift into an “intelligence age.” The ideas blend mechanisms like public wealth funds with a market-driven framework. This comes amid anxiety over AI’s impact on jobs and wealth concentration. The proposals aim for bipartisan appeal, released as the Trump administration moves toward a national AI framework ahead of midterm elections.
The framework has three goals: broadly distributing AI prosperity, reducing systemic risks, and ensuring widespread AI access. Key proposals include shifting the tax burden from labor to capital, warning that AI could hollow out the tax base for social programs. It suggests higher taxes on corporate income or capital gains, and even a potential robot tax.
A proposed Public Wealth Fund would give Americans a public stake in AI companies, with returns distributed to citizens. Labor-focused ideas include subsidizing a four-day work week and having companies boost benefits like healthcare. However, these are framed as corporate, not government, responsibilities.
OpenAI also proposes safeguards against AI misuse, like oversight bodies and containment plans. It calls for treating AI like a utility, ensuring it remains affordable and available. The company states this new industrial policy must ensure superintelligence benefits everyone, reflecting its original mission to benefit humanity.