Senator Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to create a sovereign wealth fund that would own 50% of the largest US AI companies. The policy estimates that the fund will be around $7 trillion, and its proceeds will allow each US taxpayer to receive $1,000 per year. Sanders argues the initiative that AI is built on collective labor and the data of humanity, so that its benefits should be shared among society rather than concentrated in a narrow circle of "tech oligarchs."

In the text, AI is compared to natural resources such as oil or minerals extracted from state lands. The idea has resonated in other political circles as well, with California Governor Gavin Newson already commissioning a study of the "universal basic capital" concept. Industry leaders themselves, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have previously acknowledged the need for such mechanisms to mitigate the economic impact of automation and labor-market protection.

Despite support for the idea within the industry, experts expect stiff resistance from AI lobbyists who have traditionally sought to privatize profits. The bill is proposed as an amendment to the tax code and, if passed, could set a precedent for redistribution of wealth in the digital age, similar to how oil revenues finance social programs in some states.