Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) proposed that the federal government take a 50% stake in artificial intelligence companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic, to be held in a newly created sovereign wealth fund that would benefit the public.Sanders, a self-described “democratic socialist,” said he would introduce specific legislation in the next few weeks to impose a one-time major tax on the companies to be paid in stock rather than cash. He provided broad details about his vision for the plan in a New York Times op-ed on Monday morning.
Sanders argued in the op-ed that AI is sourced from the public’s “collective intelligence,” rather than just being built “out of thin air.” He contended that as the technology, which he considers the “most transformational technology in the history of the world,” continues to proliferate, the public should be able to benefit financially from companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI.
The plan “would create a sovereign wealth fund through a one-time 50 percent tax — not on the profits of OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI and other companies, but paid with something far more valuable than that: the stock,” Sanders wrote of the proposal.
Sanders argued that doing so would be a counterbalance to AI’s direction being dictated by “a handful of Big Tech oligarchs.”
