SUMMARYBernie Sanders proposed that the public take a 50% ownership stake in AI companies, and Sam Altman said he wants the public to have equity in AI growth while stopping short of Sanders’ threshold. Altman met with Sanders in Washington this week and also spoke with congressional leaders from both parties. Donald Trump separately said Americans should benefit from AI success and that AI executives will visit the White House next week.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders announced a plan for the public to take a 50% ownership stake in AI companies, remembers the Associated Press.
And then OpenAI's Sam Altman "told Sanders that he, too, wants the public to have equity in AI companies."
Though the CEO said he couldn't support Sanders' threshold of 50%, he nonetheless wanted to work with him to advocate for the general idea, according to people with knowledge of the conversation. The nearly hourlong meeting in Sanders' Senate office this week, held at Altman's request, highlighted the inherent tension between AI powerhouses and policymakers as Americans are increasingly asked to accept the costs of the AI boom even as they remain unconvinced of its direct benefits. Yet it's also creating odd political bedfellows fueled by populism as politicians from Sanders to President Donald Trump embrace giving the public a stake in AI's growth. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Trump described a potential partnership "where the American people can benefit from the success of AI" and said executives from leading AI companies will visit the White House, "probably next week," to discuss the idea. The article points out that Altman also met with congressional leaders from both of America's political parties.