Bernie Sanders plans to introduce legislation creating an American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund that would give the public direct ownership in major AI companies. The proposal includes a one-time 50% tax on stock, not profits, of companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. This would allow the government to gain voting shares and board representation, redirecting wealth generated from AI technology from billionaires to ordinary citizens.

The legislation addresses how tech oligarchs have built AI on collective knowledge—books, songs, artwork, journalism, and scientific research—without permission or compensation. Sanders argues this represents the theft of creative work from millions of people. The sovereign wealth fund model has precedent in Alaska's oil revenue fund, which pays annual dividends to residents, and Norway's $2 trillion oil fund.

The fund would initially provide direct payments to Americans, with proceeds eventually funding healthcare, education, and housing. Sanders notes that even President Trump has proposed establishing a sovereign wealth fund, and some leading AI companies have endorsed similar public wealth fund concepts.