OpenAI Urges Government to Impose Robot Taxes and Allocate AI Profits to All Americans

TLDR

• OpenAI has released a 13-page policy blueprint addressing a future with superintelligent AI.
• CEO Sam Altman is advocating for a public wealth fund to provide every American with a share in AI’s economic growth.
• The proposal considers levying taxes on firms that automate jobs previously done by humans.
• OpenAI recommends trialing a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay.
• Altman identifies cyberattacks and bioweapons as the most pressing threats posed by AI.

(SeaPRwire) –   OpenAI has released a 13-page policy paper that details a proposed government response to the emergence of superintelligent AI. The report, named “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age,” was made public as Congress gets ready to discuss AI legislation.

CEO Sam Altman characterized the document as a conversation starter rather than a definitive solution. He compared the magnitude of transformation AI will bring to that of the Progressive Era and the New Deal.

The paper addresses taxation, worker benefits, social safety nets, and contingency plans for AI systems that might become uncontrollable.

A national public wealth fund is one of the most talked-about ideas. OpenAI proposes funding it partially through contributions from AI companies. This fund would invest in AI companies and other enterprises implementing the technology, with the profits paid out directly to U.S. citizens.

The concept is comparable to Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which distributes yearly dividends to residents from the state’s oil income.

Robot Taxes and Worker Protections

OpenAI also introduces the concept of imposing taxes on companies that substitute human employees with automation. The logic is simple: if AI leads to smaller payrolls, it also results in less tax income for programs such as Social Security, Medicaid, and food assistance.

The document proposes compensating for this revenue loss by increasing the tax load on corporate income and capital gains.

Regarding worker benefits, OpenAI recommends more robust unemployment insurance, broader Medicaid coverage, and portable benefits that move with employees between jobs instead of being linked to a single employer.

The company also proposes testing a 32-hour workweek at full salary, describing it as an “efficiency dividend” resulting from productivity increases driven by AI.

Threats Altman Says Are Already Close

In an interview with Axios, Altman stated that the two most urgent risks from sophisticated AI are cyberattacks and bioweapons.

He stated it is “totally possible” for significant cyber threats to appear within the next year. He also conceded that AI models might be exploited by malicious individuals to design new pathogens, noting that this is a danger that is “no longer theoretical.”

The blueprint contains a section on “containment playbooks” for situations where hazardous AI systems gain autonomy and the ability to self-replicate.

OpenAI’s suggested approach calls for government coordination instead of relying solely on actions from the industry.

The document also proposes automatic triggers for safety net programs. If job losses caused by AI reach predetermined levels, benefits such as unemployment compensation and wage insurance would automatically expand, then decrease as the situation gets better.

OpenAI announced it is establishing a new office in Washington and financing research grants to help advance these policy discussions.

Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief global affairs officer, mentioned that both Democratic and Republican lawmakers are receiving concerns from voters about AI-related job displacement.

The company agrees with the Trump administration’s stance that minimal regulation is necessary for the United States to maintain a competitive edge over China in AI development.