OpenAI is making progress on AI, taxation, and the 32-hour workweek.

OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, has published a 13-page document with the programmatic title: "Industrial Policy in the Age of Intelligence: Ideas for Putting People First." The text aims to outline short-term risks and prepare for what the company calls the "age of superintelligence." Its stated ambition is "access to AI for all," with safety rules and mechanisms to prevent profits from ending up in the same pockets. Sentence by sentence, it becomes clear that the issue is no longer just technological; it is social, economic, and almost cultural. And when machines become ubiquitous, it is the reader's everyday life that is being targeted.

When Silicon Valley speaks like a ministry

What's striking is the chosen terrain: OpenAI isn't content with simply discussing models and computing power; the company is directly challenging governments. Working hours, redistribution, taxation, regulation… the document even raises the idea of ​​a 32-hour workweek, an old political temptation revived by the promise of productivity gains. Sam Altman stands by this stance and explains that he wants to detail how states could regulate and tax the profits associated with AI, while simultaneously accelerating the deployment of its products. The message is clever, almost double-edged: "make rules," but quickly, and in a way that doesn't stifle innovation.

In Europe, this timing coincides with the gradual implementation of the AI ​​regulation adopted in 2024, with its array of constraints and risk categories. In France, where the 35-hour workweek remains the norm, the mere mention of a 32-hour week immediately reignites the debate on profit-sharing, the financing of the social model, and competitiveness—a rarely contentious issue. Behind the stated good intentions lies a reality that no one can ignore: tech giants are seeking to influence regulatory frameworks that are still malleable, convinced that whoever writes the rules already holds a significant advantage. It remains to be seen how public authorities will respond to this outstretched hand, caught between political caution and the global race for AI.