Companies that build AI are changing the way Americans live, and most Americans want to share in the wealth.
According to a new national survey of 1,690 adults from research firm Verasight, 69% said they support “forcing” AI firms to transfer half their stock to a public sovereign wealth fund that would, in theory, pour AI profits back into the economy and even provide direct payments to Americans.
The poll comes after Elon Musk’s space and AI company, SpaceX, just pulled off the largest-ever initial public offering, and as AI giants like Anthropic and OpenAI have been planning IPOs of their own. Likewise, tech giants that are already publicly traded—like Meta Platforms and Google parent Alphabet—have made major AI-forward expenditures and seen their stocks rise as a result.
Americans also broadly want more guardrails for AI companies. Per the survey, 89% say they support making it a requirement for AI companies to disclose the results of all internal safety testing to the public, and 81% said they support giving the federal government the authority to block AI systems that are deemed unsafe.
“The findings from our latest survey demonstrate a rare instance of bipartisan agreement,” Ben Leff, CEO and cofounder of Verasight, said in a press release.
The idea for a public sovereign wealth fund comes from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who last month introduced legislation to create such a fund, which he said could generate $7 trillion.
In an outline of the proposal, Sanders said the fund would do three key things:
Sanders said in the proposal that the “principle is simple: When a public resource generates wealth, the public should share in that wealth.”
He continued, “The future of AI and the fate of humanity must not be decided behind closed doors in Silicon Valley by billionaires seeking to maximize their power and profit. It must be decided by workers, parents, teachers, artists, scientists, communities and the American people.”
While the idea is new for America, it’s not new worldwide. More than 100 countries have sovereign wealth funds and so do around 20 U.S. states.
For example, Alaska’s Permanent Fund is funded by oil and mining royalties, and a portion of the funds are used to pay Alaskans annual dividends. Texas has a Permanent School Fund that comes from mineral rights and state lands and supports the state’s K-12 public education system.
Interestingly, while Sanders might not agree much with President Trump, last February Trump announced an executive order that directed the Treasury and Commerce Department to develop a plan to create a sovereign wealth fund.
The order said the fund would “promote fiscal sustainability, lessen the burden of taxes on American families and small businesses, establish economic security for future generations, and promote United States economic and strategic leadership internationally.”
Last month, Trump said he is in talks with AI leaders about how the public can participate in AI’s continued expansion. “There are concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner,” he said.