Sam Altman says AI superintelligence is so big that we need a ‘New Deal.’ Critics say OpenAI’s policy ideas are a cover for ‘regulatory nihilism’

OpenAI says the world needs to rethink everything from the tax system to the length of the workday in order to prepare for the wrenching changes of superintelligence technology—the point at which AI systems are capable of outperforming the smartest humans.

On Monday, in a 13-page paper titled “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age,” OpenAI said it wanted to “kick-start” the conversation with a “slate of people-first policy ideas.” How much faith to put in OpenAI’s words and motives, however, seems to be one of the key questions among many of the people reading the paper. The paper was released on the same day that The New Yorker published the results of a lengthy one-and-a-half-year investigation into OpenAI that raised questions about CEO Sam Altman’s trustworthiness on various issues, including AI safety.

Written by the OpenAI global affairs team, the paper outlines many of the expected economic impacts of superintelligence and floats various approaches for addressing them. “We offer them not as a comprehensive or final set of recommendations, but as a starting point for discussion that we invite others to build on, refine, challenge, or choose among through the democratic process,” said the introductory blog post. 

The self-described “slate of ideas” in the document—spanning everything from public wealth funds to shorter workweeks—may not do muc...