Here’s the deal. Sam Altman—yes, that human-shaped hype machine who runs OpenAI—has floated some lofty ideas that riff on universal basic income (UBI), but with a flashy AI twist.
💡 1. UBI via AI‑Powered Wealth (The American Equity Fund)
Back in March/April 2021, Altman wrote an essay called “Moore’s Law for Everything”, where he argued that AI could generate enough economic value that, within a decade, the U.S. could afford to pay $13,500 per adult per year. How to fund it? Tax corporate and land wealth—specifically:
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Tax large companies at about 2.5% of their market value annually, paid in shares, and
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Tax privately held land at roughly 2.5%, paid in cash.
These assets would then feed an “American Equity Fund,” which would distribute both shares and dollars to everyone over 18. It’s supposed to give citizens a direct stake in national prosperity while shifting taxation away from labor The Times+15CNBC+15Analytics India Magazine+15.
Essentially, “owning capitalism” becomes the new basic income. Altman calls this a conversation starter, not a policy blueprint CNBCbasicincometoday.com.
🧠 2. Universal Basic Compute (UBC)
By 2024, Altman began to wonder: maybe cold hard cash isn't the only—or even best—way to share AI’s wealth. On the All‑In podcast he sketched a fresh idea: everyone gets a slice of GPT‑7’s compute capacity. They could use, resell, or even donate it to causes like cancer research. Instead of dollars, you're getting “compute” as your dividend from future AI productivity Cointelegraph+5Business Insider+5Yahoo Tech+5.
This idea has been termed Universal Basic Compute—an access‑based model rather than direct income. Altman himself said he’s stopped talking as much about UBI, hinting that maybe compute access is the better lever in a heavily AI‑infused future Wikipedia+8TIME+8Business Insider+8.
🗣️ 3. Why All This?
Altman is worried about a world where AI disrupts jobs and concentrates wealth. His proposals are about redistributing the gains—either through shares and cash or by giving people direct access to AI resources. He wants everyone to have skin in the game, owning part of the AI‑driven value creation Klover.ai - Klover.ai+1Business Insider+1.
He even backed UBI research personally—OpenAI funded a three‑year pilot giving $1,000/month to 1,000 low‑income people. Findings? Stress dropped, food security improved, but benefits faded over time, and researchers emphasized that UBI isn’t a silver bullet for poverty Business Insider.
⚠️ 4. Critics and Real‑World Caveats
Yes, he’s a billionaire advocating redistribution—but critics note risks:
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Some argue that taxing corporate capital and land at these levels is politically improbable or economically risky.
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Others warn this approach may simply create a dependent lower class shadowed by the wealthy who control capital.
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There are concerns that relying on AI companies to fund social welfare creates a future where governments outsource redistribution to private entities. Not exactly a trust signal Reddit+4CNBC+4basicincometoday.com+4.
OpenResearch’s UBI study showed that unconditional cash helps—but doesn’t fix systemic poverty. Altman’s team stressed that the goal was research, not policy prescription Cointelegraph+4Business Insider+4TechCrunch+4.
🧭 5. Bottom Line
Altman envisions two futuristic ways to share AI wealth:
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Traditional UBI funded by taxing capital and land, distributing shares and cash via a public equity fund.
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Universal Basic Compute, where people receive access to AI compute power, not money.
Both aim to give people a stake in the AI economy—but both remain speculative, politically challenging, and controversial.
🏛 1. “Just Tax the Rich” – Bold Strategy, Cotton
Altman proposes a 2.5% annual wealth tax on market value of large companies paid in shares, and another 2.5% on land paid in cash.
Seems straightforward… until you remember:
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Corporations really hate giving up equity—especially on a recurring basis. That’s like telling Jeff Bezos, “You owe us stock forever, Jeffy.”
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Landowners and real estate barons tend to have friends in high places. Those “friends” are called Senators.
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The U.S. Congress hasn’t even passed a tax on unrealized gains. This idea is like showing up to a pool party and proposing everyone swim in molten lava instead.
In short: politically feasible in the same way “nationalizing Starbucks” is.
🧑⚖️ 2. Constitutional Clown Car
A recurring wealth tax? Paid in stock?
That might crash into the ol’ Takings Clause (Fifth Amendment), or at least spend years bouncing around the Supreme Court like a legal beach ball. And not the fun kind—more the Citizens United variety.
And let’s be real: if we haven’t managed to pass paid parental leave, we’re not exactly sprinting toward “Everyone gets AI money because Sam Altman says so.”
💸 3. Share Distribution = Tech Feudalism?
Giving everyone shares in AI companies sounds nice… until you realize who manages those companies.
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The public gets scraps of equity, but decision-making stays in the hands of the same few dudes with names like “Zuck,” “Musk,” and “Sam.”
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So congratulations: You now own 0.00000001% of OpenAI. That’s…not nothing, but it’s not exactly economic liberation either.
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You’d be like a serf who technically owns a brick from the castle.
There’s a reason critics call this model “techno-feudalism with better PR.”
🧠 4. Universal Basic Compute = Universal Basic Confusion
The newer model—giving everyone “compute” instead of cash—is conceptually cool and logistically… insane.
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What does the average person do with compute? Run climate simulations in their backyard? Train an LLM on their grocery list?
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Most people would just sell it to tech companies, meaning we’ve just recreated money with extra steps.
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It’s like replacing your paycheck with “exclusive rights to a fraction of a solar panel” and saying, “Do what you want.”
Cute idea. Massive UX problem.
🏗 5. Infrastructure? Who Needs That?
Managing a nationwide dividend fund (whether in cash, stock, or compute) would require:
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A bureaucratic apparatus larger than the IRS on caffeine.
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Distribution mechanisms to deliver and track share ownership.
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Education so people understand what they’re receiving. Otherwise, everyone’s going to cash out like it’s a birthday card from Grandma.
All of this assumes a functioning federal government and public trust. Which... LOL.
🎩 6. Billionaires Talking UBI
When billionaires pitch UBI, there’s a smell of self-preservation in the air:
“We might automate your job, but don’t worry—we’ll toss you a few bucks or let you borrow our server.”
There’s always the suspicion that UBI proposals are a parachute for capitalism, not a ladder for everyone else. And since Altman is both AI overlord and crypto-curious investor, the trust factor is… nuanced.
📉 Conclusion
Altman’s ideas aren’t crazy—they’re just moonshots in a hurricane.
They sound nice, but until:
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Congress wants to tax capital,
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Courts want to let them,
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Billionaires want to give up stock,
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And the average person wants compute instead of cash…
…it’s more of a TED Talk than a policy blueprint.
But hey, maybe the future will be weird and surprising and this will all work. Or maybe we’ll all be fighting over canned beans while an LLM reads us bedtime stories. Fifty-fifty, really.
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