Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is proposing AI companies to contribute some of their “enormous profits” to a fund dedicated to helping American workers and communities grapple with likely job losses and infrastructure strain caused by the technology, a sign the Democratic Party is beginning to wrestle with what is expected to be a major fault line in politics over the next decade.
Kelly, a swing-state senator and potential 2028 presidential candidate, rolled out the idea in a white paper aiming to create “an AI boom for all, not another tech bubble for the few.” He’s unlikely to be the only major Democrat with ideas for how the party should grapple with a technology projected to replace 7% of all American jobs over the next decade and change the way millions more jobs function. The speed and size of the changes could move AI from being a boardroom concern today to a kitchen table concern by the time voters head to the polls in 2028.
“There’s a good chance this is one of the top issues that voters are concerned about,” said Bharat Ramamurti, the former deputy director of the National Economic Council under President Joe Biden. “I think it’s very likely that either they will see their jobs changing or disappearing because of AI, or someone in their family, or they’re hearing in the news all the time about how certain companies are cutting back on workers because of AI adoption, and they will want answers from policymakers.”
