Bernie Sanders wants public to own a piece of AI boom
Vermont senator is proposing a sovereign wealth fund financed by forced equity transfer from leading AI companies
NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has outlined a proposal to fundamentally reshape how wealth generated by artificial intelligence is distributed, calling for a direct public ownership stake in the industry.
In an essay published by the New York Times, the Vermont senator argues that the rapid rise of generative AI is concentrating extraordinary wealth in the hands of a small number of technology firms and investors, while workers and the broader public receive no direct financial benefit. He links the sector’s growth to soaring corporate valuations and planned public offerings by major AI companies, arguing that the resulting value is being captured almost entirely by shareholders.
Sanders proposes the creation of an “AI Sovereign Wealth Fund” financed through a one-time 50 percent equity transfer from leading AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. The aim, he argues, is to give the public a direct ownership stake in a technology he views as being built in part on publicly generated data and creative work for which no compensation has been paid.
Under the proposal, the government would manage the fund and distribute revenues as direct payments to citizens, with the long-term goal of financing broader social services including healthcare, education, and housing. Sanders frames the plan as a corrective to what he sees as an emerging system in which the gains from AI flow heavily to corporate executives and investors while economic disruption spreads across the labour market.
The proposal faces significant political and structural obstacles. A forced equity transfer of this scale would face resistance in Congress and from a technology sector that has grown increasingly influential in shaping regulatory debates in Washington. The plan also leaves unresolved questions about valuation methodology, legal authority over private corporate assets, and implementation mechanics.
The idea emerges alongside broader industry discussions about managing the economic consequences of AI. Some technology figures have floated alternatives — expanded basic income models, subsidised computing access, or tax reform — aimed at addressing job displacement and widening inequality. Sanders’ proposal is more direct: rather than relying on indirect regulation or welfare measures, it argues the public should hold a permanent financial stake in a transformative industry.
Supporters see it as a structural correction to emerging inequality. Opponents are likely to characterise it as an extreme form of state intervention in private enterprise. Either way, the proposal has put a question on the table that AI’s biggest beneficiaries would prefer to answer on their own terms.
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