OpenAI Proposes a 'New Deal' for the Superintelligence Era — Robot Taxes, Public Wealth Fund, and 32-Hour Workweeks

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has published a sweeping 13-page policy document titled "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First," outlining how the U.S. government should tax, regulate, and redistribute wealth as AI superintelligence approaches. The blueprint, released on April 6, 2026, argues that America needs a new social contract comparable to the Progressive Era and the New Deal.

Key Proposals

The document lays out five major policy pillars:

1. A National Public Wealth Fund

OpenAI proposes creating a nationally managed investment fund — partially seeded by AI companies themselves — that would give every American citizen a direct stake in AI-driven economic growth. The model draws from Alaska's Permanent Fund dividend system, where residents receive annual payments from the state's oil revenue.

The fund would invest in diversified, long-term assets that capture growth in both AI companies and the broader set of firms adopting AI technology.

2. Shifting Taxes from Payroll to Capital

As AI automates more jobs, payroll tax revenue — which funds Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP — will shrink. OpenAI recommends shifting the tax base toward corporate income and capital gains taxes. The document also proposes taxing companies that replace human workers with automated systems, essentially a robot tax.

3. The 32-Hour Workweek

The blueprint recommends pilot programs for a 32-hour workweek at full pay, framing the shorter week as an "efficiency dividend" that converts AI productivity gains into time back for workers. OpenAI encourages companies and unions to jointly run these pilots.

4. Automatic Safety Triggers

Rather than waiting for political action during an economic crisis, the document proposes automatic benefit increases tied to economic data. When AI-driven job displacement hits preset thresholds, temporary increases in public support would kick in automatically — then phase out when conditions improve.

5. Portable Benefits

The blueprint calls for benefits that follow workers between jobs rather than remaining tied to a single employer. This includes stronger unemployment insurance and expanded Medicaid access.

The Safety Argument

Altman did not shy away from the risks. He identified cyberattacks and bioweapons as immediate threats from advanced AI systems. He stated that major cyber threats emerging within the next year remain "totally possible," and acknowledged AI could enable bad actors to create novel pathogens — calling it "no longer theoretical."

Why This Matters

This is the first time a leading AI company has published a comprehensive economic policy framework of this scope. OpenAI — now valued at over $850 billion after its record $122 billion funding round — is essentially telling governments: the disruption is coming faster than you think, and here is how to prepare.

The timing is significant. OpenAI confirmed that GPT-5.5, codenamed Spud, has completed pretraining. Anthropic's Claude Mythos is in early access. Google's Gemini 3.1 Ultra leads most benchmarks. The frontier is advancing rapidly, and Altman is making the case that policy needs to keep pace.

Industry Reactions

The proposals have drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters argue the blueprint shows responsible corporate leadership. Critics, including Bloomberg Tax analysts, have called it "Silicon Valley socialism" — arguing that OpenAI benefits from proposing tax frameworks that shift the burden to competitors while positioning itself as a public benefactor.

What to Watch

The document is a policy proposal, not legislation. But with OpenAI's growing influence in Washington and the bipartisan interest in AI regulation, several of these ideas could shape upcoming congressional debates. Key questions remain:

• Who funds the public wealth fund? The proposal says AI companies would contribute, but specifics on contribution rates or enforcement mechanisms are absent.
• How are displacement thresholds measured? The automatic triggers depend on reliable economic data that may not yet exist for AI-specific job displacement.
• Will other AI companies follow? Anthropic, Google, and Meta have not released comparable policy documents.

Source: OpenAI — Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age