OpenAI has released “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age,” a policy proposal aimed at the effects of Artificial Intelligence on workers and the broader economy. The document shows the company is thinking not only about how superintelligence could affect consumers, but also how it could reshape enterprise jobs. OpenAI envisions an Artificial Intelligence workforce transition in which workers have a voice in how these systems are introduced, with deployments prioritized when they improve job quality.
The proposal says workers will be critical to understanding how Artificial Intelligence is used in workplaces, and it calls for investment to offset Artificial Intelligence’s effects on work, wages and job quality across industries and sectors. OpenAI also floated initiatives such as a four-day work week. The company framed the effort as a response to a shifting labor market in which some employees in legal and technology roles are already feeling pressure from Artificial Intelligence agents that perform coding and knowledge-based tasks such as summarization and data gathering. Oracle, for example, eliminated as many as 30,000 roles globally this month as it works to restructure and become an Artificial Intelligence compute provider.
OpenAI also suggested changes to tax policy, including higher corporate income and capital gains taxes, particularly on Artificial Intelligence-related revenue, alongside lower or eliminated taxes on labor income. Michael Bennett, associate vice chancellor for data science and Artificial Intelligence strategy at the University of Illinois Chicago, said the proposal appears designed to show users, society and current and future employees that OpenAI recognizes employment disruption. At the same time, Chirag Shah, a professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, argued that the proposals are not substantive enough and said the company is not taking real responsibility for the consequences of pushing toward superintelligence.
Bennett also said the policy may serve as a protective measure for OpenAI by showing it has considered economic, environmental, labor, education and political consequences before those issues intensify. That is especially relevant for companies like OpenAI that are looking to go public, to do an IPO. Alongside its policy ideas, OpenAI is launching fellowships and research grants of up to 100,000 and up to 1 million in API credits for projects that explore the economic models described in the proposal.
