NYTimes Opinion video calls for the public to share AI profits

In short: A New York Times Opinion video argues that if AI companies profit from public resources, the public should get a direct share back.

What's going on

Tara Jayaram’s New York Times Opinion video, released September 18, 2026, makes the case that ordinary people should get “your piece of the A.I. boom.” Her point is simple, AI companies rely on public building blocks, so the public should share in the rewards.

Jayaram points to ideas like universal basic income, which means a regular cash payment to everyone with no conditions attached. Supporters say this could act like a financial floor if AI changes jobs quickly, similar to a safety net that is already in place before someone falls.

She also raises “universal basic compute.” This is not money. It is guaranteed access to computing power, the expensive machines and services needed to run modern AI (like giving everyone a basic set of tools, not just the finished products). The argument is that control of this computing power can decide who gets to build and benefit from AI.

The video highlights that some AI leaders have discussed profit sharing. Sam Altman of OpenAI has talked for years about the need for UBI, but there is no public, detailed plan that commits OpenAI profits to it. Dario Amodei of Anthropic has suggested governments could take stakes in AI companies or collect and redistribute part of AI profits.

What to watch

No major country has yet put in place a large national UBI funded directly by AI company profits. The next signs to watch are concrete policy proposals, such as taxes on AI profits, government investment stakes, or public computing programs that give more people access to the same kind of “engine power” AI firms use.

Source: NYTimes