Taxes

Bernie Sanders' AI Wealth Fund Bill Shows That He Doesn't Understand AI or Wealth

Sanders' plan would impose a one-time tax of 50 percent of AI companies' stock and give the government voting shares and the power to block corporate decisions.

Tosin Akintola | 6.2.2026 5:49 PM

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On Monday, in a New York Times op-ed, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) announced plans to introduce the American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund Act "in the coming weeks." Sanders' bill would give Americans a "direct ownership stake" in the country's largest AI companies by creating "a sovereign wealth fund through a one-time 50 percent tax" of company stock.

While specifics of the legislation haven't been shared, Sanders says the bill will "give the public a direct role in determining the future" of AI, rather than its use being "dictated by a handful of Big Tech oligarchs." Sanders' proposal would also allow the federal government to use its "voting shares and an equal representation on each company's board" to block decisions and policies it deems harmful.

Sanders' plan builds on similar calls to action from academics and the leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI—three........

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