A majority of Americans support requiring the nation’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) companies to transfer half of their stock into a public sovereign wealth fund, as concerns mount over AI-driven job losses and continued layoffs across the tech industry, according to a new survey. 

The June survey of 1,690 U.S. adults by research firm Verasight found that 69% support forcing AI companies to transfer 50% of their stock into a public fund that would allow the public to benefit financially from the industry’s growth. 

The proposal is part of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, introduced in June. Sanders argued that because taxpayers helped fund much of the research and infrastructure behind AI, the public should share in the industry’s financial gains. He said the fund could be worth about $7 trillion.

The proposal comes amid growing concerns over AI’s impact on employment as companies automate more tasks. A 2026 tech layoffs tracker shows more than 165,000 job cuts across the industry so far this year, affecting companies including Oracle, Meta, Microsoft and Samsung.

It also comes as AI companies reach record valuations. Anthropic was recently valued at about $965 billion, while OpenAI is valued at roughly $852 billion.

Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that OpenAI had proposed giving the U.S. government a 5% ownership stake in the company as part of a broader plan to share the financial benefits of AI. Based on its latest valuation, such a stake would be worth about $42.6 billion.

Meanwhile, the survey found broad support for stronger oversight of AI companies. 89% of respondents said AI firms should be required to publicly disclose the results of internal safety testing, while 81% supported giving the federal government the authority to block AI systems deemed unsafe.

Respondents also expressed skepticism about the industry’s ability to regulate itself. 

The survey found that 43% of Americans believe AI companies design their own regulations to benefit themselves rather than protect the public, while 30% said they trust the U.S. government more than leading AI developers, such as Anthropic, to determine whether an AI system is safe for public use.

“The findings from our latest survey demonstrate a rare instance of bipartisan agreement,” said Ben Leff, CEO and Co-Founder of Verasight. “There is an undeniable desire among Americans of both parties for federal oversight, absolute transparency, and accountability to ensure AI safety and to enable all Americans to participate in the economic benefits of AI.”