OpenAI says the emergence of superintelligence, AI models that can outperform humans, will be as disruptive as the Industrial Revolution and will require a new social contract. In fact, like every other AI company, Sam Altman’s startup has been saying that for years while offering very few ideas for what anyone is supposed to do about it. On Monday, the chatbot maker outlined a set of policy proposals aimed at rectifying that situation in a paper called “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First.”
The paper, which OpenAI says is meant to start a broader conversation about navigating AI’s impact on society, lays out a range of policy ideas, including a public wealth fund, four-day work weeks, investments in the electric grid, and a stronger social safety net.
“No one knows exactly how this transition will unfold. At OpenAI, we believe we should navigate it through a democratic process that gives people real power to shape the AI future they want, and prepare for a range of possible outcomes while building the capacity to adapt,” the company said in the paper.
The document comes as U.S. politicians remain split on how to regulate the lucrative industry. President Donald Trump, whom tech CEOs have spent the past year cozying up to, signed an executive order in December limiting what his administration described as overly burdensome state-level AI regulations in the name of national and economic security. More recently, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been working on bills that would impose a national moratorium on the construction or expansion of new AI data centers until Congress passes legislation that “ensures the safety and prosperity of the American people.”
OpenAI’s new paper vaguely attempts to address some of those concerns. It states that the company believes “AI’s benefits will far outweigh its challenges,” while acknowledging risks such as job losses, misuse of the technology, greater concentration of power and wealth, and even the possibility of AI systems becoming uncontrollable.
Most of the paper focuses on the economic impact of AI. Among its proposals is a public wealth fund that would give every citizen a stake in “AI-driven economic growth.” The fund would invest in long-term assets tied to the AI economy, with returns distributed directly to the public.
The company also suggests rethinking the tax system as AI changes how people work, shifting more toward taxing corporate profits and capital gains while reducing reliance on labor income and payroll taxes. It floats the idea of new taxes tied to automated labor.
Additionally, the paper calls for expanding the social safety net, potentially on a temporary, automatic basis triggered by factors like rising unemployment and other economic indicators.
It also proposes incentivizing employers to pilot 32-hour work weeks without reducing pay by tying those changes to productivity gains driven by AI.
Beyond economic changes, the paper also outlines broader proposals, including strengthening the electric grid to support AI infrastructure and building new safety and oversight systems to reduce risks from advanced AI.
OpenAI said it is accepting feedback on its proposals and plans to host discussions at its OpenAI Workshop, which is set to open in May in Washington, D.C.
The company also announced plans to pilot fellowships and research grants of up to $100,000 and up to $1 million in API credits for projects that build on these and policy ideas.
It remains to be seen how serious OpenAI is about turning these proposals into reality, or whether they have any real shot at becoming policy at all. But there’s little doubt the company has an incentive to at least look like it cares, especially as it tries to reassure investors and politicians ahead of a potential IPO.
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