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Bernie Sanders unveils $7 trillion plan to give Americans control of AI industry

Ars Technica AI · Ashley Belanger · 2026-06-18

Senator Bernie Sanders introduces legislation to impose a one-time 50 percent stock tax on large AI companies to create a $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund paying Americans annual dividends and funding public services.

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Topics: ai-policyai-regulationtech-taxationus-politicswealth-redistribution

Claims

  • Sanders' bill would impose a one-time 50% tax on the stock of any AI company with $200 million or more in annual AI sales.
  • The resulting sovereign wealth fund is estimated at $7 trillion total.
  • The fund would generate hundreds of billions of dollars annually, directed to direct payments and programs such as healthcare, education, and housing.
  • Each American would likely receive more than $1,000 per year in 5% annual dividends from the fund.

Key quotes

Any AI firm that does $200 million in annual AI sales would be subject to the tax, as would any new firm once it reaches that revenue level.