The document also boldly claims we’re already transitioning to AI superintelligence. But the announcement arrives amid allegations that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is a habitual liar.
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.”
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.
