In the News: Kelly Releases AI for America, a Roadmap for Lasting Leadership that Benefits All Americans

In case you missed it, this week Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released AI for America, his new roadmap to make AI work for all Americans, not just a few big companies. His proposal addresses the often-ignored question of 'how to pay for it,' making sure companies do their part so Americans aren't left behind with higher unemployment and higher electricity costs.

Read AI for America here.

See news clips and highlights below:

Axios: Sen. Mark Kelly's AI plan calls on tech firms to pay up

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) on Wednesday released an "AI for America" plan that would require tech companies to contribute to a fund intended to help society adjust to the technology's impact on jobs, infrastructure and the environment.

Why it matters: The policy proposals are a sharp departure from the Trump White House's pro-growth AI Action Plan - but there's no clear path to see them enacted any time soon.

Driving the news: Kelly's boldest proposal calls for the establishment of a trust fund that could be used to, among other things, provide training to workers whose jobs are threatened by AI and invest further in infrastructure.

Punchbowl News: Kelly wants to jumpstart AI jobs ideas

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is worried his colleagues aren't moving fast enough to address the way artificial intelligence will disrupt Americans' jobs and environment.

That's why Kelly is releasing a report today calling for major AI developers, plus firms that are deploying the tech, to contribute to a fund to support workers who might get displaced while also building up energy systems that AI will rely on heavily.

"I kind of felt like we were lacking a real plan," Kelly told us in a sitdown ahead of the report's release. "I think we're going to be regretful about it and say we should have gotten ahead of this."

Puck News: Mark Kelly's A.I. Moon Shot

Despite all the polling showing that Americans want quick, decisive regulatory action on artificial intelligence-and no shortage of hearings about the best legislative approach-Congress has yet to set real guidelines for the technology. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly is hoping to change that with his new "A.I. for America" road map, which calls for the creation of a dedicated federal fund to invest in infrastructure and worker retraining-paid for by the very A.I. companies that are straining U.S. infrastructure and threatening to replace American workers.

The idea, which Kelly calls "common sense," is to ensure that the growth of the A.I. industry actually benefits ordinary citizens, while still "sustaining innovation and success" and all that. Other core elements of the plan involve educating K-12 students in A.I. and establishing guidelines-negotiated with labor union leaders-for how it should be used in workplaces. Kelly hopes to leverage the "enormous profits" that A.I. companies are ostensibly generating to fund the plan-even though, as I've reported ad infinitum, few Big Tech companies, besides chipmakers like Nvidia, are actually generating profits from A.I. right now.

Barack Obama on X:

We need more ideas like the ones @SenMarkKellyhas outlined on how we can shape the future being created by artificial intelligence.

Teamsters on X:

AI is moving fast-but we must ensure it protects and creates good jobs. Senator Mark Kelly understands that organized labor needs to be at the table so AI is implemented responsibly, no matter the industry.

The Teamsters thank you for taking this step, @SenMarkKelly.

Huffington Post: Democrats Are Starting To Grapple With The Biggest Sleeper Issue In Politics

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is proposing AI companies to contribute some of their "enormous profits" to a fund dedicated to helping American workers and communities grapple with likely job losses and infrastructure strain caused by the technology, a sign the Democratic Party is beginning to wrestle with what is expected to be a major fault line in politics over the next decade.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a potential 2028 presidential candidate, wants AI companies to pitch in to help communities affected by the strain AI puts on local infrastructure

At the same time, the construction of AI-powering data centers, which put strains on the electrical grid, has become a flashpoint in cities and towns across the country, and concerns about AI's potential to cause real-life harm are beginning to alarm lawmakers in both parties.

Kelly's white paper aims to start at least a conversation about how to address all of these issues, with a proposed "AI Horizon Fund" as its centerpiece. The plan floats several potential fees or taxes AI companies could pay into the fund, including taxing "large-scale use of public resources, like power, water, and land; [p]rofits from digital ad tools powered by AI; or AI-based revenue windfalls." The fund would be kept separate from Congress' normal appropriations process.

Arizona Republic: Mark Kelly seeks fund to protect jobs amid AI changes in workforce

Sen. Mark Kelly is urging a new tax on artificial intelligence company revenues to create a fund used to protect American jobs and ensure "shared prosperity" as the emerging technology becomes further engrained in daily life.

"As a nation, we must seize this moment to build an AI boom for all, not another tech bubble for the few," Kelly wrote.

The funds would be used for things like training workers in jobs presumably more immune from AI pressures, and a more generous unemployment aid system for those whose work is displaced by the technology.

Sherwood News: Senator Mark Kelly wants AI companies to pay into a fund to offset AI's negative impacts

Skyrocketing demand for new energy generation needed to power massive data centers are raising utility bills, and generators are spewing methane into the atmosphere. Chatbots are encouraging self-harm to vulnerable users. AI leaders are warning of massive labor shifts as whole categories of jobs will be automated out of existence.

Senator Mark Kelly is proposing a novel plan to tackle some of these problems: making the AI companies foot at least a part of the bill.

In a new proposal, Kelly calls for the top frontier AI companies to come together and all pitch a pile of money into what he calls the "AI Horizon Fund."

Kelly is looking at the massive valuations of the leading AI companies and the hundreds of billions they're throwing at AI infrastructure projects as a resource to fund the plan.

Bharat Ramamurti, Former Deputy Director of the White House National Economic Council, on X:

Very glad to see this new proposal from Sen. Kelly. Some great ideas in his full report.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs on X:

AI should strengthen our economy, not undermine it. We must prepare today for the changes ahead. Thank you to @SenMarkKelly for leading the conversation and focusing his AI for America plan on ideas to protect workers, invest in energy infrastructure, and support innovation.

Professor Daron Acemoglu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, on X:

Interesting report from Sen. Mark Kelly on AI, with emphasis on AI companies' responsibility to strengthen (rather than weakening) the resources that has created the US advantage - workforce skills, energy, infrastructure. We definitely need more oversight over the current direction of AI and this is a good starting point.

Unidos US on X:

For our country to lead in AI, we must put people first. Senator Kelly's framework invests in education, workforce training and community resources to deliver lasting opportunities for working families and make America's leadership in AI both enduring and inclusive.

Americans for Responsible Innovation on X:

TODAY: @SenMarkKelly is out with a proposal to create a fund, supported by AI companies, to reinvest in workers, infrastructure, and deployment. AI's costs can't be borne by families and workers alone, and its benefits can't just go to Silicon Valley.

Americans for Responsible Innovation on X:

AI is going to require more energy, more land, and a rewiring of our economy. American families shouldn't have to bare the full cost. @SenMarkKelly is out with a thoughtful proposal today on how to create a partnership with industry to build infrastructure and support workers.

The Tech Oversight Project on X:

Astronauts don't get to "move fast and break things." Neither should AI. Good to see @SenMarkKelly charting a safer course - and making Big Tech companies put their money where their mouth is.

Third Way Economic on X:

Good to see @SenMarkKellythinking seriously about how AI will transform jobs and energy. We need more Dems engaging on these issues. To win the long-term AI race, we need to build skills, support innovators, protect households, and keep water and electricity affordable.