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HedgeCo.Net \u2014 Bridgewater Associates has moved from publishing research on artificial intelligence to actively lobbying for policy on it. The firm has held informal discussions with policymakers from both parties in Washington about proposals to share the economic gains from AI more widely and limit labor-market disruption, according to a New York Post report on October 5, 2026 that was followed by Hedgeweek on October 6.<\/p>\n
The proposals stem from a recent paper by managing chief investment officer Greg Jensen, chief executive Nir Bar Dea and other senior executives, which called for immediate policy action. Its most unconventional idea is a “token tax” on AI usage: Bridgewater estimates that a 35% levy could raise as much as $600 billion by 2030. Rather than funding a universal basic income, the firm proposes using the proceeds to buy shares in leading AI companies and distribute that ownership directly to citizens, an approach Jensen has argued would reduce politicians’ control over how and when benefits are paid out.<\/p>\n
Bridgewater also argues that AI-generated work should not enjoy a tax advantage over human labor, which remains subject to payroll taxes, and that token tax revenue could be used to cut taxes on workers and support people displaced by automation. The firm is calling for heightened oversight of companies that control more than roughly 5% of U.S. or global AI computing capacity, comparing that to the enhanced supervision of systemically important banks, and for regulators to regularly interview staff at AI laboratories about safety risks in emerging models.<\/p>\n
The intervention is notable coming from one of the world’s largest hedge funds. Bridgewater has acknowledged that it would itself be subject to the taxes and regulations it recommends, while observers quoted by the Post noted that smoother, less contested AI adoption could also benefit the firm’s investments in the sector. Critics have questioned the practicality of metering AI usage for tax purposes and whether requiring the government to purchase AI shares would amount to further public support for the industry.<\/p>\n
For investors, the episode is a signal that AI concentration and labor displacement are moving from abstract macro themes toward concrete policy debates that could affect valuations. Proposals for compute-based oversight thresholds or usage taxes, if they gained traction, would bear directly on the economics of the largest AI developers and the infrastructure built around them. Macro managers will be watching whether Bridgewater’s ideas find sponsors on Capitol Hill or remain a thought experiment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
HedgeCo.Net \u2014 Bridgewater Associates has moved from publishing research on artificial intelligence to actively lobbying for policy on it. The firm has held informal discussions wit\u2026 Continue reading