OpenAI places AI policy at the centre of the 2028 election debate
OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane has argued that artificial intelligence could become a defining issue in the 2028 US presidential election. In a new essay, he compares AI’s potential economic impact with the New Deal and sets out five policy priorities covering worker protections, education, AI safety and data-centre development.
Lehane’s argument arrives after Democrats won control of Congress in the midterm elections amid broad frustration over living costs. Although AI was not the dominant issue, opposition to data centres became a bipartisan concern in several races. Affordability is also expected to feature prominently in 2028 as voters confront inflation, tariffs and higher household costs.
A policy agenda built around wider AI participation
Lehane calls for what he describes as a compelling third path: one in which people can share in AI’s benefits rather than lose control of their economic futures. His proposals include tax incentives for workers to acquire AI skills, easier access to capital for entrepreneurs, and new approaches to employee ownership and profit-sharing.
That agenda develops themes in OpenAI public policy priorities on AI safety while extending the political case for AI adoption, infrastructure and safeguards. Lehane also argues that people should retain control over consequential decisions made with AI rather than ceding judgement entirely to machines.
Kate Brennan, who leads AI and corporate power policy at the AI Now Institute, said the language marked a shift from OpenAI’s earlier emphasis on accelerating development, reducing regulatory barriers and expanding infrastructure. She questioned whether the new framing includes enough concrete measures to prevent AI-generated gains from concentrating among a small number of companies.
Data centres, safety and accountability
On data centres, Lehane acknowledges concerns but stresses potential construction employment and local tax revenue. He warns that a moratorium could threaten the US position relative to China. Critics, however, point to voter concerns that new facilities can raise electricity bills while the economic gains flow elsewhere.
Lehane proposes enforceable safety standards, independent evaluations, public oversight and the ability to restrict or shut down AI systems. He also puts child safety and education at the centre of the agenda, seeking age-appropriate protections and safeguards for AI companions used by minors. His opposition to excluding AI from classrooms rests on the concern that wealthier students could gain access while rural communities fall behind.
Brennan said the approach remains predicated on widespread AI adoption delivering social benefits that have not yet been demonstrated. She suggested policies such as revised corporate tax rates, incentives to hire people rather than automate jobs, and limits on excessive market power. She also noted OpenAI’s past opposition to California’s SB 1047, which would have required catastrophic-risk evaluations and shutdown capabilities, even as the company has more recently supported some state safety laws and expressed openness to embedded independent evaluators.
What businesses should watch
The essay shows how AI policy may be linked increasingly to household costs, employment, energy use and economic power rather than treated as a specialist technology issue. Businesses planning AI deployment or data-centre capacity should expect scrutiny not only of productivity claims, but also of workforce effects, safety controls, local costs and whether benefits are shared in a demonstrable way.