# Bernie Sanders Proposes Seizing 50% of AI Firms' Stock > Source: > Published: 2026-06-06 01:49:45.012088+00:00 # Bernie Sanders Proposes Seizing 50% of AI Firms' Stock Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced he will introduce the American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would impose a one-time 50 percent tax on the largest AI companies, paid not in cash but in company stock. According to Sanders' New York Times op-ed and reporting by The Hill, those shares would go into a new federal sovereign wealth fund, giving the public an ownership stake plus government voting rights and board seats at firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI. Sanders argues that because "A.I. is built on our collective intelligence," the wealth it generates "must benefit humanity," funding direct payments, health care, education and housing. The bill has not been introduced; Sanders said details will follow "in the coming weeks." Critics, including a Volokh Conspiracy legal analysis on Reason, argue that taking equity would be an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment. Notably, OpenAI and Anthropic have themselves floated public wealth funds tied to AI. ### The proposal Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced he will soon introduce the American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, legislation that would impose a one-time 50 percent tax on the largest U.S. artificial intelligence companies. As Sanders described it in a New York Times op-ed and a video message reported by The Hill, the tax would be paid not in cash or profits but in company stock. Those shares, drawn from firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI, would be placed in a newly created federal sovereign wealth fund, giving the public a direct ownership stake and giving the government voting shares and "equal representation on each company's board." ### Sanders' argument Sanders frames the plan as wealth-sharing rather than confiscation. He argues that "A.I. is built on our collective intelligence: our books, songs, artwork, journalism, computer code, scientific research, videos, conversations, images and ideas spanning generations," and that "since A.I. is built on the collective knowledge of humanity, the wealth it generates must benefit humanity." He says the fund's proceeds, "billions, if not trillions, of dollars," would provide direct payments to Americans and help guarantee health care, education and housing. He cites Norway's roughly $2 trillion oil fund and Alaska's decades-old dividend program as precedents. ### Industry and political context The proposal lands as Anthropic, OpenAI and SpaceX move toward public listings, with Anthropic having filed IPO paperwork with the SEC. It also echoes ideas the AI labs themselves have floated: Sanders notes that OpenAI has proposed a "public wealth fund" giving every citizen a stake in AI-driven growth, and that Anthropic has suggested "national sovereign wealth funds with stakes in A.I." Sanders, who in March co-sponsored an AI data-center moratorium bill with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, casts this as part of a broader populist response to AI-driven wealth concentration. ### The criticism Conservative and libertarian commentators have sharply attacked the idea, several framing it as a "seizure" or "expropriation" of private property. A Volokh Conspiracy legal analysis published on Reason argues that taking 50 percent of a company's equity would be an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment, which requires "just compensation" for private property. Critics also warn that giving the government voting control over a strategic industry raises governance and investment-climate concerns. ### What to watch The measure has not been introduced; Sanders said the full legislative text, spending priorities and implementation mechanics will come "in the coming weeks." As a proposal from a member of the Senate minority, it faces very long odds of becoming law. For AI practitioners and investors, the near-term significance is as a signal of intensifying political pressure on AI valuations and ownership, not an immediate change to how the companies operate. Key things to track include whether the bill gains co-sponsors, how it defines the "largest" AI companies, and whether the equity-tax mechanism draws the constitutional challenges its critics predict. ## Scoring Rationale A prominent sitting U.S. senator proposing to move 50 percent of the largest AI companies into a public sovereign wealth fund is a high-visibility AI-governance story, widely covered and notable for echoing ideas OpenAI and Anthropic themselves have floated. However, the bill has not been introduced and, coming from the Senate minority, faces very long odds, so its near-term operational impact on AI firms and practitioners is limited. Scored as a notable policy-discourse development rather than enacted regulation. Practice with real Real Estate data 90 SQL & Python problems · 15 industry datasets 250 free problems · No credit card [See all Real Estate problems](/problems/datasets/real-estate)