This Machine Kills 453. Super “Intelligent” Industrial Policy
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Apr 15, 2026 They dissect OpenAI’s industrial policy report and its push to govern a transition to superintelligence. They critique proposals like public wealth funds, tax shifts toward capital, and modernizing the grid for massive compute. They debate worker voice, four-day workweek ideas, and whether these plans strengthen corporate power or enable democratic control.
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OpenAI Claims It Will Steward Superintelligence
- OpenAI frames a near-term transition to superintelligence and positions itself as a democratic navigator for that transition.
- Jathan and Edward call this claim self-serving: you can't both usher in Godlike AI and then object when people blame you for it.
OpenAI's 'Open Economy' Repackages Familiar Promises
- The report pitches an "open economy" with worker voice, AI entrepreneurship, and a proclaimed "right to AI" as essential infrastructure.
- Edward flags this as repackaging existing pro-market ideas rather than structural change to ownership or control.
Public Wealth Fund Creates Direct AI Exposure
- OpenAI proposes modernizing the tax base toward capital and creating a public wealth fund to share AI gains.
- Hosts argue this formalizes mass exposure to the AI bubble and aligns citizens' interests with rising AI asset values.
