Bernie Sanders wants every American to get a $1,000 check from AI companies, and his plan involves seizing half their stock

Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, legislation that would give the American public a direct 50 percent ownership stake in the nation’s largest AI companies. As detailed by Android Authority, the bill calls for a one-time 50 percent tax on the stock of the biggest AI firms operating in the United States.

The seized stock would be deposited into a new sovereign wealth fund managed by an independent commission. At current market valuations, the fund is estimated to be worth around $7 trillion, and the plan calls for a 5 percent annual dividend from that wealth. That structure would translate into a direct annual payment of $1,000 to every American.

Sanders argues that AI is not simply a product of engineers in Silicon Valley, but is instead built on the collective knowledge of humanity, including books, artwork, journalism and scientific research. Because AI models are trained on the work of tens of millions of people, Sanders contends the public should share in the profits these companies generate. “When a public resource generates wealth, the public should share in that wealth,” Sanders said, as detailed in a press release from his office.

The bill outlines a structure built around oversight, accountability and public benefit

The legislation establishes an Independent Commission for Democratic AI, made up of seven members nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The commission would manage the wealth fund and would have the power to block decisions it determines would harm the American public, while also pushing for policies benefiting workers, privacy rights and overall standard of living.

Commission members would be required to divest their own financial interests in applicable AI companies to avoid conflicts of interest. The bill defines “applicable AI companies” as those engaged in AI data centers, computing infrastructure, services or advanced robotics with significant gross receipts.

The legislation also requires large companies operating both AI and non-AI businesses to split those entities apart, ensuring the public receives a clear ownership stake specifically in the AI side of the business. The proposal arrives amid growing debate in California over a separate one-time 5 percent wealth tax on billionaires, a sign that taxation of concentrated wealth has become a broader national flashpoint.

Sanders has pointed to existing precedent for the approach, noting that the United States already uses sovereign wealth funds to benefit the public. The Alaska Permanent Fund has distributed dividends to residents for decades using oil revenues, and Sanders says more than 100 similar funds exist globally.

The bill places the financial risk on the companies rather than the federal government. If the value of these AI companies grows, the wealth fund grows along with it, but if their value declines, the companies themselves absorb the losses rather than taxpayers. The senator has separately pushed wealth tax measures targeting billionaires more broadly, reflecting a consistent legislative focus on redistributing concentrated wealth.

The legislation’s three pillars, the independent commission, the breakup requirement for mixed AI and non-AI businesses, and the guarantee of distributed economic benefits, are intended to work together rather than as standalone measures. The bill has been introduced and is now positioned for review in the Senate.