Sam Altman Warns Superintelligence Is Near: Inside OpenAI’s 13‑Page Policy Blueprint

OpenAI is accelerating its progress toward the next stage of artificial intelligence.

In an Axios interview, CEO Sam Altman warned that the arrival of superintelligent AI will be sooner than most anticipate, describing the technology as so powerful and disruptive that a bold new social contract is urgently needed to manage it.

Altman highlighted several imminent risks, including advanced cyber‑attacks, bio‑security threats, and the large‑scale replacement of human labor, noting that AI will soon outperform humans even when assisted by AI tools.

To prepare, OpenAI released a 13‑page document titled "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: A Human‑Centred Approach," which proposes six radical ideas:

Public Wealth Fund : An AI‑fund financed by AI companies, modeled on Alaska’s permanent fund, to distribute AI‑generated wealth directly to citizens and address growing wealth inequality.

Robot Tax : Taxes on automated labor and AI company profits to fund displaced workers and social‑security programs.

Higher Capital Gains Tax : Increased tax rates on the wealthy to finance the transition and redistribute AI‑generated wealth.

Four‑Day Work Week : A reduced workweek without wage cuts, sharing productivity gains from AI with workers to improve quality of life.

Universal AI Access : Treating basic AI access as a fundamental right, similar to electricity or literacy, ensuring underserved groups can benefit from AI.

Rapid Social Safety Net : Expanding unemployment benefits, Medicaid, and social security to protect workers permanently displaced by AI, with adaptive mechanisms that can scale up quickly and taper down as conditions stabilize.

The blueprint also mentions an upcoming next‑generation model, rumored to be called "Spud," which Altman expects will enable breakthroughs so significant that users may claim it helped them achieve the most important discoveries of their careers.

Altman emphasizes that no one knows exactly how the transition to superintelligence will unfold, but OpenAI believes a democratic process should guide it, giving people real power to shape the AI future and preparing for a range of possible outcomes.

Reference links: https://x.com/chatgpt21/status/2041200676387135588, https://www.axios.com/2026/04/06/behind-the-curtain-sams-superintelligence-new-deal, https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/561e7512-253e-424b-9734-ef4098440601/Industrial%20Policy%20for%20the%20Intelligence%20Age.pdf