The Big Story 

OpenAI unveiled a series of policy proposals Monday, with hopes the conversation will lead to a new “social contract” in a world with artificial intelligence. 

© AP Photo

The policy blueprint, published Monday, suggests superintelligence, an AI that will surpass the smartest humans, is on the horizon and argues the governing of AI must “keep people first” once this transition unfolds.

From a public wealth fund to four-day workweeks, OpenAI’s sweeping recommendations appear to be an attempt to get ahead of the growing fears around AI and its impact on the economy, workforce and overall state of humans.

OpenAI and its CEO and co-founder Sam Altman compared society’s current circumstances to the transition to the Industrial Age and the Progressive Era and New Deal that followed. 

“Industrial policy can play an important role when market forces alone aren’t sufficient—when new technologies create opportunities and risks that existing institutions aren’t equipped to manage,” the document stated. 

OpenAI’s recommendations emphasize giving workers a voice in the AI transition, while acknowledging the disruption AI will cause for some jobs and entire industries.

To offset these changes, OpenAI recommended the creation of an open economy, including a pubic wealth fund to give every citizen a “stake in AI-driven economy growth”  and expanding access to foundational models to reduce the expected inequalities. 

It also called for exploring taxes “related to automated labor,” given AI could reduce the tax base funding programs like Social Security, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).

The company also advocated for “adaptive safety nets” as well, by ensuring programs like SNAP, Social Security, Medicare, and  unemployment insurance are fully accessible and functional ahead of the transition. 

The blueprint comes as Congress has failed to enact nearly all legislation related to the use of AI, and its risks to the economy and workforce. 

Read more in a full report at TheHill.com

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

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Crypto Corner 

Crypto regulator seeks budget bump

© Mariam Zuhaib, Associated Press

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is seeking a 12 percent budget increase for fiscal year 2027, as the agency prepares to take on growing responsibilities overseeing cryptocurrency and prediction markets.

The financial regulator is asking for $410 million, up from $365 million in the previous year. 

In a letter to congressional budget leaders, CFTC Chair Michael Selig argued the agency “must be appropriately equipped to effectively regulate the novel products and platforms emerging in our financial markets.”

He pointed to the adoption of blockchain technologies, crypto assets and smart contracts, as well as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. 

Selig also underscored the rising popularity of “retail-focused derivatives products” that require the agency to “develop new rules to protect retail investors in what has historically been an institutionally focused market.”

The CFTC has laid claim to regulating prediction markets and large swaths of the crypto industry.

The agency currently finds itself engaged in legal battles with several states over its assertion that it has exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets.

It is also expected to oversee much of the digital assets market, particularly as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released guidance declaring that only a limited subset of crypto products fall under its jurisdiction.

Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.

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