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Billionaire California gubernatorial<\/span> candidate Tom Steyer is rolling out a new proposal that would guarantee jobs with benefits for workers displaced by artificial intelligence. He\u2019s the first state-wide candidate to make such a pledge.<\/p>\n The plan, which builds on a broader AI policy framework Steyer released in March, promises to make California \u201cthe first major economy in the world\u201d to ensure \u201cgood-paying\u201d jobs to workers impacted by AI. To do so, Steyer tells WIRED he plans to build off a previous proposal to introduce a \u201ctoken tax\u201d which would tax big tech companies \u201ca fraction of a cent for every unit of data processed\u201d for AI. The funding generated by that tax would go to what Steyer has called the Golden State Sovereign Wealth Fund, with some of that money being earmarked for jobs building housing, health care, and modernizing California\u2019s energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cThe aim of the initiative will be to strengthen the foundation of the state\u2019s economy, invest in our communities, and create beautiful, vibrant public spaces,\u201d states a campaign memo viewed by WIRED. \u201cTo support these efforts, Tom will also invest heavily in training and apprenticeship programs across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n The new plan also intends to expand unemployment insurance and establish a new agency called the AI Worker Protection Administration that would include union leaders, academics, and technologists that would adopt rules to protect workers\u2019 rights, the memo says.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople all over this state are terrified that AI is going to hollow out this whole economy and they\u2019re going to lose their jobs. Young people are worried they\u2019ll never get a job,\u201d Steyer tells WIRED. \u201cWe believe this can be an amazing transformational technology in many ways, but we\u2019re not in the business of leaving people in California behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Steyer\u2019s job guarantee comes as lawmakers across the state and federal levels\u2014and even some AI executives\u2014scramble to address the ramifications of widespread AI adoption across the US workforce. In New Jersey, state senator Troy Singleton recently put out a bill that would require companies that replace workers with AI to contribute to a fund that would pay to retrain those workers. In Congress, there are a handful of proposals for grants and tax credits for companies to provide AI training to existing employees.<\/p>\n Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, has previously suggested the concept of a token tax that is now being proposed by Steyer. \u201cObviously, that\u2019s not in my economic interest,\u201d Amodei told Axios last year. \u201cBut I think that would be a reasonable solution to the problem.\u201d In April, OpenAI proposed a similar public wealth fund to what Steyer has rolled out.<\/p>\n Steyer\u2019s announcement comes days after Democratic primary opponent Xavier Becerra\u2014former Health and Human Services secretary under president Joe Biden\u2014offered his own AI plan. In that proposal, Becerra calls for \u201cworkforce investment and transition support\u201d but doesn\u2019t provide a specific funding mechanism.<\/p>\n \u201cDisplacement without support is abandonment,\u201d Becerra said in a Monday memo outlining his plan. \u201cI will work with the Legislature, the California public education system and industry partners to build accessible, stackable workforce programs that prepare Californians for the AI economy and support workers navigating role changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past few months, the White House has threatened to go after states that choose to regulate AI. In December, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that could revoke federal broadband funding from states that approve \u201conerous\u201d AI laws. This is happening in local races as well: In New York, a super PAC backed by a number of Silicon Valley powerhouses, including OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman, has targeted Alex Bores, a Manhattan congressional candidate who has made AI regulation the centerpiece of his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cNot regulating AI doesn\u2019t seem remotely reasonable,\u201d Steyer says. \u201cBut if California wants to lead, we\u2019ve got to have a vision for the future that includes something that is not just about letting entrepreneurs get rich at the expense of everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n