OpenAI on Monday introduced what it calls a “slate of people-first policy ideas” designed to kick-start a much-needed AI blueprint as society barrels toward superintelligence with few guardrails in place.

The Sam Altman-led start-up says the proposal is meant to spark public debate over how governments and institutions should respond as advanced AI systems begin to reshape jobs, economic growth, and public life around the world.

“Conversation should be inclusive and ongoing – engaging governments, companies, researchers, civil society, communities, and families – and mediated through democratic processes that give people real power to shape the AI future they want,” OpenAI said.

The “ambitious” ideas put forth in the 13-page Industrial policy for the Intelligence Age are “intentionally early and exploratory” and are not intended as a “comprehensive or final policy package,” the company stresses.

Instead, the ChatGPT-maker is seeking direct feedback from the public via a newly set up email account, and plans to open an OpenAI Workshop in Washington, DC next month.

OpenAI kicks off debate on AI’s future

With AI superintelligence potentially only a few years away, the company warns that the “small regulatory updates” trickling through Washington will be a drop in the bucket compared to the societal upheaval and AI safeguards that still need to be addressed.

“We’re beginning a transition toward superintelligence: AI systems capable of outperforming the smartest humans even when they are assisted by AI. No one knows exactly how this transition will unfold,” the company says.

OpenAI says advances in AI are expected to lower the cost of essential goods, alleviate food scarcity, solve scientific challenges such as curing or preventing diseases, and accelerate breakthroughs in climate change and renewable energy.

As part of the discussion process, OpenAI is also “establishing a pilot program of fellowships and focused research grants of up to $100,000 and up to $1 million in API credits for work that builds on these and related policy ideas,” it said.

"The promise of advanced AI is not just technological progress, but a higher quality of life for all. Living standards should rise, and people should see material improvements through lower costs, better health and education, and more security and opportunity."

OpenAI, Industrial policy for the Intelligence Age

Announcing its first OpenAI Safety Fellowship, also on Monday, the company said it is calling for outside researchers, engineers, and practitioners to apply (from now through May 3rd) to the “rigorous, high-impact research” program focused on AI model safety, which will run from September through February 2027.

Workers, wages, and who benefits

From worker protections and retraining programs to portable benefits, automated labor taxes, and four-day workweeks – a central theme in the report is building an open economy and figuring out how AI-driven wealth will be distributed once AI models begin to replace or reduce human labor.

OpenAI believes workers should have more of a say in how AI is deployed in the workplace, particularly when it comes to uses that could intensify workloads, reduce autonomy, or affect scheduling and pay.

To accommodate the expected loss of traditional jobs and income from AI adoption, OpenAI says lawmakers should consider updating the tax base, and even suggests a Public Wealth Fund linked to AI productivity gains and investments, with a portion of dividends returned directly to citizens.

These “efficiency dividends” could help fund things like retirement, healthcare costs, childcare, eldercare, and even time-limited four-day workweek pilots without cutting pay, OpenAI says.

On the flip side, OpenAI points to “human-centered” fields such as childcare, eldercare, healthcare, education, and community services as areas where employment pathways could expand.

OpenAI also ties the AI transition to infrastructure and quality-of-life issues.

The report calls for broader low-cost access to AI tools, arguing that workers, schools, libraries, and underserved communities should not be locked out of the technology.

The company says governments should also work faster to expand grid capacity and meet the energy demands of rapidly expanding AI systems and data centers. OpenAI also states that data centers should pay their own way and create real local benefits, including jobs and tax revenue.

Cybersecurity risks move to the forefront

Besides major disruptions to the workforce and even entire industries, OpenAI says the transition to superintelligence poses other security risks that could cause large-scale harm if safety does not keep pace with capabilities.

The report calls for “stronger safety systems designed to detect risks and prevent misuse across high-consequence domains” as AI technology advances. These risks include:

• Bad actors misusing the technology.
• Misaligned systems evading human control.
• Governments or institutions deploying AI in ways that undermine democratic values.
• Power and wealth becoming more concentrated instead of more widely shared.

To address potential threats, the report highlights the need for advanced red teaming, robust testing, and threat modeling to ensure early detection and help shape mitigation efforts before systems are widely abused.

At the same time, it argues that those guardrails should stay targeted so they do not unnecessarily choke smaller developers or lower-risk AI products.

"If AI winds up controlled by, and benefiting only a few, while most people lack agency and access to AI-driven opportunity, we will have failed to deliver on its promise," OpenAI says.

Tougher rules for the most dangerous AI systems

As AI systems become more capable and more embedded across the economy, OpenAI points out that alongside abundance, AI models will likely introduce vulnerabilities we've never seen before.

OpenAI is pushing for tougher oversight and says the most capable frontier AI models may eventually need stronger controls – particularly those that could materially increase cyber risks, including chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear cyber-related risks.

These could include measures such as pre- and post-deployment audits, clearer evaluation standards, and incident and near-miss reporting. Clearer rules for government use of AI and broader public input into how powerful systems are aligned and governed were also mentioned.

OpenAI says coordinated “model-containment” playbooks could be developed to handle the release of dangerous or rogue systems that are difficult to pull back.

The report also suggests strengthening international coordination when it comes to information-sharing around AI capabilities, risks, and mitigations, potentially evolving into its own international security framework, similar to "other multilateral institutions focused on safety and standards."

Reaction to the document was fast and furious on social media, with many questioning Altman's sincerity and the profit-driven AI company's true motivations.

"I appreciate that OpenAI’s paper explicitly names worker disruption, concentration of wealth/control, the need to modernize the tax base, and ideas like a public wealth fund," one independent AI researcher wrote on X, politely echoing the sentiment of the majority of commenters.

"The real test is simpler: Will AI firms accept enforceable limits, public stake, and worker power? If not, “people first” is branding," they said.

The company warns that to ensure a resilient society, the conversation on AI safety must start now. “As advanced AI reshapes how people, organizations, and governments operate, it may place new strain on the institutions and norms that societies rely on to remain stable, secure, and free,” OpenAI said.

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