OpenAI executive outlines policy vision for 2028 election

OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane has proposed a new social contract to shape the 2028 presidential election, arguing the technology can define the political landscape. In a new essay, Lehane compares artificial intelligence and its economic impact to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal from the 1930s. He urges politicians to move past simple anti-AI sentiment and data center backlash to find a third path that shares AI benefits.

Policy Proposals

Lehane's essay outlines five core policy priorities covering worker protections, education, AI safety, and data center growth. His tax proposals suggest incentives for workers to learn AI skills, better capital access for entrepreneurs, and profit-sharing models. On infrastructure, he defends data centers by pointing to construction jobs and local tax revenue, while warning that a data center moratorium could harm America's lead over China. He also proposes age-appropriate child safety protections, safeguards for AI companions, and bringing AI into classrooms to prevent inequality.

Criticisms

Critics argue the proposals mainly serve corporate interests while ignoring economic risks. Kate Brennan of the AI Now Institute notes the policy marks a sharp shift from OpenAI's previous push to cut regulatory barriers, pointing out that Lehane's vision assumes mass AI adoption without binding rules to protect displaced workers. Brennan also criticized Lehane's comparison to the New Deal as ahistorical since the original programs reined in corporate power rather than promoting private business goals.

Context

Presidential election debates in the United States increasingly focus on the intersection of major technological shifts, economic anxiety, and everyday affordability. Debates over data centers have grown into bipartisan local political issues as communities balance power grid demands against potential economic growth.