Sanders Proposes 50% Government Stake in AI Companies Through Sovereign Wealth Fund
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is calling for the federal government to establish a sovereign wealth fund financed by taking half the stock in major AI companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI.
Sanders wrote in The New York Times that AI companies trained their models on creative work from millions of people without permission or compensation. He argues this amounts to theft of "collective knowledge of humanity" by some of the world's wealthiest people.
"Since AI is built on the collective knowledge of humanity, the wealth it generates must benefit humanity," Sanders wrote. He plans to introduce the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would impose a one-time 50% tax on leading AI companies, payable in stock.
Government Control and Board Representation
Under the proposal, the federal government would gain voting shares and equal representation on each company's board. This would give the public "a direct role in determining the future of this technology," Sanders said.
The government could use its board seats to block decisions harmful to citizens and push for policies that help them. Sanders framed this as preventing "a handful of Big Tech oligarchs" from dictating AI's future.
Funding Public Services
Sanders envisions the fund's proceeds funding direct payments to Americans and supporting healthcare, education, and housing programs. If AI companies grow as analysts expect, the fund's value would increase alongside public benefits.
Sanders cited Norway's sovereign wealth fund, built from oil revenues, as a model. However, Norway's fund is prohibited from holding more than 10% of shares in public companies. State pension systems typically hold smaller stakes in individual companies to diversify risk.
Implementation Details Pending
Sanders acknowledged the complexity of government ownership in companies where AI is only part of the business. He said specific spending priorities and implementation mechanics will appear in legislation unveiled in coming weeks.
"The principle is simple: when a public resource generates wealth, the public should share in that wealth," Sanders said. "AI is being built on a public resource far more valuable than oil: the accumulated knowledge, creativity and labor of mankind."
Government employees and policymakers tasked with evaluating AI regulation should understand the implications of such proposals. Learn more about AI for Government and AI for Executives & Strategy to better assess policy options.
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