On April 6, 2026, OpenAI published Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age, a policy proposal released under the leadership of Sam Altman calling for governments to rethink economic and national strategy for the era of advanced AI.
The Big Idea: AI as National Infrastructure
AI is becoming critical national infrastructure. Countries that fail to invest risk falling behind economically, technologically, and geopolitically.
The paper positions AI as:
- A productivity engine
- A national security priority
- A driver of economic growth
- A transformative force for labor markets
Why Incremental Policy Isn’t Enough
Traditional policy responses are too slow for AI’s pace. The paper advocates proactive industrial policy and coordinated national investment rather than reactive, piecemeal approaches that lag behind technological development.
Expanding Opportunity in the AI Economy
The proposal emphasizes:
- Expanding economic opportunity broadly
- Preventing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few
- Preparing workers for AI-driven job changes
- Strengthening social safety nets to support transitions
Investing in Compute Infrastructure
Key recommendations include:
- Public–private partnerships for AI data centers
- Incentives for domestic chip manufacturing
- Energy grid upgrades to support compute demand
- Long-term national investment strategies
Strengthening Institutions for the AI Era
The paper calls for:
- Research funding and fellowships to build talent pipelines
- Policy experimentation and pilot programs
- Cross-sector collaboration between government, industry, and academia
- Democratic oversight frameworks to maintain accountability
The Workforce Question
On labor, the report supports:
- Workforce retraining and education programs
- Lifelong learning initiatives
- Policies supporting job transitions
- Better labor market data and insights
Sharing the Benefits of AI
Suggested approaches include:
- New economic safety nets suited to an AI-driven economy
- Expanded access to AI tools for small businesses and individuals
- Support for entrepreneurship and innovation
- Public investment in innovation ecosystems
Why This Matters Now
The report expands AI policy discussion beyond technical safety to economic and institutional strategy — an important shift. Too much of the AI policy debate has focused narrowly on risk and regulation, while questions of investment, competition, and economic distribution have received less attention.
A Call for Public Debate
The document explicitly invites feedback and positions itself as a starting point for broader discussion — not a finished blueprint. That framing matters: it acknowledges the limits of any single organisation’s perspective on questions of national economic strategy.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not one agrees with every proposal, the document makes a valuable contribution: it reframes AI governance as an affirmative question of national strategy, not just a defensive exercise in risk management. The AI era requires strategic investment, institutional innovation, workforce preparation, and genuine public engagement. The conversation about national AI strategy is just beginning.