Sanders pushes AI wealth tax and data center moratorium

What happened

Senator Bernie Sanders, alongside Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, proposed legislation in March to halt data center construction until safeguards are implemented. In June, Sanders announced the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, which would tax AI's richest companies and distribute proceeds directly to American citizens. Sanders says the public should own half of AI industry boards to block technologies that cause mass unemployment or endanger privacy.

Why it matters

Sanders argues AI is being controlled by the world's wealthiest people—including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg—with no regard for ordinary people's needs, despite AI being "the most consequential, transformational technology in the history of humanity." He points out Congress has passed zero significant legislation on AI to date, and that members fear opposing the industry because it can unleash hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending against them.

What to watch

Sanders's proposals target any company with revenue of $200 million（約320億円） or more. The sovereign wealth fund would direct half of AI's revenue growth to the public, arguing that AI is built on human knowledge—books, poems, scientific work—for which creators have received zero compensation.