To win over AI skeptics, OpenAI is pushing some big ideas to ensure the technology benefits society, which includes a four-day workweek, robot taxes, and even a “public wealth fund” meant to put cash in everyone’s pocket.
Amid growing concern that generative AI will lead to massive job losses for human workers, not to mention the memory shortage caused by the AI data center scramble, OpenAI published a 13-page document outlining various measures governments could take to rein in AI. But it also comes across as a sales pitch for why countries should continue to invest in artificial intelligence, despite the potential toll on consumers.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed the blueprint with Axios, which notes that the most radical proposal is the creation of a “public wealth fund” that would give every member of society “a stake in AI-driven economic growth.” Importantly, the fund would apply to “every citizen—including those not invested in financial markets.” The fund would invest seed capital in AI-related assets and return profits to citizens.
The document also calls for incentivizing companies to experiment with “32-hour/four-day workweek pilots with no loss in pay that hold output and service levels constant,” because AI should convert to efficiency gains, it says. The other interesting proposal is to impose taxes on automation to ensure the US has enough tax revenue to support Social Security and Medicaid.
OpenAI released the document in the hopes it’ll kick off some public discussion. Importantly, the company is teasing that it’s close to creating even more powerful AI models, dubbed AI superintelligence. “Now, we’re beginning a transition toward superintelligence: AI systems capable of outperforming the smartest humans even when they are assisted by AI,” the company wrote. “No one knows exactly how this transition will unfold.”
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Still, OpenAI’s policy document might be overshadowed by a New Yorker article published today that alleges Altman is a persistent liar, citing interviews with more than 100 people. Plus, the company’s release of GPT-5 last year underwhelmed, raising concerns that OpenAI is hitting a wall on the technology’s development. Altman, however, tells Axios that superintelligence is not only close, but so mind-bending and disruptive that it requires a new social contract in the US.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
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