Bernie Sanders wants to make AI companies pay Americans $1,000 a year. The Vermont senator unveiled a proposal to create a $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund, financed by levies on major artificial intelligence firms, that would send the annual payment to every U.S. resident.
How the payout would work
Under the plan, the fund would be built up over time through mandatory contributions from companies that develop and deploy advanced AI systems. Once the fund reaches $7 trillion, it would start distributing $1,000 per person each year. Sanders's office estimates the mechanism could lift millions of households and create a direct financial stake in the success of the AI sector.
The proposal doesn't specify which firms would be assessed or how the contributions would be calculated. That detail is left for future legislation. What is clear: the sheer scale of the fund — $7 trillion is roughly one-quarter of the current U.S. gross domestic product.
The levy would hit a sector already under scrutiny over job displacement, data privacy, and market concentration. Sanders's plan effectively treats AI as a public resource whose profits should be shared broadly. If enacted, it would immediately reshape how investors value AI firms, adding a recurring cost that doesn't exist today.
Some in the tech industry have warned that such a tax could slow innovation or drive development overseas. But Sanders argues the opposite — that guaranteed public returns would build political support for continued AI investment.
Debate over public ownership of tech
The proposal lands in the middle of a broader conversation about who benefits from artificial intelligence. It raises the question: should the gains from automation belong mostly to shareholders and founders, or to the broader public? Sanders's answer is explicit — the public, through a sovereign wealth fund modeled on those in Norway and Alaska.
Critics say a $7 trillion government-managed fund would be unwieldy and prone to political interference. Supporters counter that the alternative — letting a handful of companies capture nearly all AI value — is worse. The debate is likely to intensify as AI capabilities continue to accelerate.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. No hearing date has been set.
