Tom Steyer Unveils “A Jobs Guarantee for the AI Era” Plan

While other California gubernatorial candidates only take marching orders from Big Tech, Steyer would make California the first major economy to guarantee good-paying jobs for workers impacted by AI

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and climate advocate Tom Steyer unveiled “A Jobs Guarantee for the AI Era,” a sweeping plan to protect California workers and ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence are shared by working families and not captured solely by Silicon Valley billionaires and Big Tech corporations. First reported by WIRED, this plan builds on his already comprehensive AI plan released in March.

“The freedom to earn a living, raise a family, and age with dignity is a basic tenet of our social contract,” Steyer said in the opening of the plan. “But the rise of AI threatens to fundamentally transform our economy. In the coming years, a handful of CEOs and investors could command more wealth than the output of some countries, while working people are left behind and prices continue to skyrocket. Unless we act now, California will become unaffordable for all but a new class of Big Tech oligarchs.”

Steyer’s plan comes as economists and AI experts warn that rapid advances in AI could displace millions of workers. Companies including HP, IBM, and Bank of America have already announced AI-related layoffs, while MIT researchers found existing AI systems could replace roughly 12 percent of the U.S. workforce.

Steyer’s “Jobs Guarantee for the AI Era” would make California the first major economy in the world to guarantee good-paying jobs and benefits for workers impacted by AI through workforce protections, public investment, and a new tax on corporate AI use.

The plan includes:

Making Big Tech Pay

Steyer will ask voters to approve a “token tax” on corporate AI use — a fraction of a cent for every unit of data processed by large AI companies. Revenue from the tax would support the creation of a Golden State Sovereign Wealth Fund to invest in infrastructure, clean energy, housing, education, healthcare, and public services.

Strengthening Social Safety Nets

Steyer will expand unemployment insurance and strengthen worker protections to ensure Californians do not have to live in fear of losing their livelihoods to automation and AI-driven layoffs.

Creating the AI Worker Protection Administration

Steyer will establish the AI Worker Protection Administration (AIWPA), a new state agency dedicated to protecting workers from AI-related displacement, enforcing workplace protections, supporting job creation efforts, and convening labor leaders, technologists, academics, and civil society groups to establish worker-centered AI standards.

Launching the California Jobs Initiative

Steyer will direct major investments toward projects that create hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that AI cannot replace, including upgrading the electrical grid, building affordable housing, expanding clean energy, wildfire prevention, healthcare, education, parks, and public services. The initiative will also dramatically expand apprenticeship and workforce training programs statewide.

Developing an Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First

Steyer will direct California to aggressively grow industries that create high-quality jobs, including semiconductors, EV batteries, pharmaceuticals, and advanced manufacturing, ensuring that the economic gains from technological innovation benefit workers and communities.

In contrast, Becerra’s record on tech accountability speaks for itself. As Attorney General, he was criticized for being too slow to investigate tech monopolies, choices that benefited the tech millionaires instead of working Californians. Becerra was one of the last attorney generals in the US to join investigations into Facebook and Google, but not without sending out a fundraising email to donors after finally deciding to go after the tech giants.

Now, running for California governor, his pattern of doing the bare minimum continues.

Economy

• Xavier Becerra has no plan to tax AI companies or broadly share AI-generated wealth.
• Tom Steyer supports a “token tax” on corporate AI use, with revenue invested in education, job training, and apprenticeships.

Workers & Jobs

• Becerra views worker displacement from AI as inevitable.
• Steyer plans to work with unions to prevent displacement, enforce workplace protections, and create jobs in healthcare, trades, and education.

Clarity on AI Policy

• Critics, including tech insiders, say Becerra’s AI position lacks detail and clarity.

Protecting Children

• Becerra’s proposals on child safety are described as limited and lacking enforcement.
• Steyer supports mandatory AI safety testing, stricter social media age verification, and banning children under 16 from social media platforms.

Tom Steyer’s “A Jobs Guarantee in the AI Era” plan is available in full here.

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