OpenAI executive urges US politicians to shape AI policy now, ahead of the 2028 election
OpenAI's chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane has published an essay comparing AI's economic impact to the New Deal and urging politicians to craft AI policy. Critics say the proposals mainly serve the company's own interests.
Chris Lehane, chief global affairs officer at the US artificial intelligence company OpenAI, has published an essay urging American politicians to start developing policies that address public concerns about AI. He argues the 2028 presidential election could be a defining moment for the technology. The essay follows Democratic gains in the US midterm elections, where the party flipped control of Congress amid voter frustration over the cost of living.
What Lehane proposes
The essay likens AI's potential to reshape the economy to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the 1930s set of federal programs and reforms enacted after industrialization and the Great Depression. Lehane says Americans feel similarly anxious about losing control over their economic futures, and he calls for a "compelling third path" that lets people share in AI's benefits.
He sets out five policy priorities, from worker protections and education to AI safety and data center development. Among the ideas are tax incentives for workers to learn AI skills, easier access to capital for entrepreneurs, and new approaches to employee ownership and profit-sharing. He also calls for enforceable safety standards, independent evaluations and public oversight, and warns that politicians who back a data center moratorium could jeopardize America's lead over China.
Criticism
Kate Brennan, who leads AI and corporate power policy at the AI Now Institute, told TechCrunch the rhetoric marks a shift from OpenAI's policy agenda last year, which focused on accelerating AI development, reducing regulatory barriers and expanding infrastructure. She argues the New Deal comparison is misplaced because the proposals come from a private company advocating for its own benefit, rest on AI benefits that have yet to materialize, and lack binding requirements that would make companies pay for worker displacement.
In 2024, OpenAI opposed California's AI safety bill SB 1047. The company has more recently shifted some positions, backing several state safety laws. It did not respond to TechCrunch's questions before publication.
