Windfall Clause

GovAI researchers developed the formal "Windfall Clause" proposal, under which AI companies would sign a legally binding agreement to donate a sliding scale of future profits once they exceed an extremely high threshold — specifically, revenues surpassing 1% of global GDP (roughly $1 trillion). Because the threshold is set so high, it costs companies nothing in the short term, making it easier for CEOs to sign as a credible signal of altruistic intent without angering shareholders today. They argue the clause is legally permissible under US corporate law because courts have consistently upheld corporate philanthropy under the business judgment rule.

Anna Yelizarova's proposal goes beyond national SWFs, envisioning a globally scoped fund that would hold a collective equity stake in AI-driven economic surplus and convert returns into a universal dividend, grounding distribution in personhood rather than employment or nationality. Drawing on precedents such as Alaska, Norway, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, she contends that dividend-based wealth sharing is more robust and egalitarian than individual share ownership, which risks reproducing inequality through unequal financial literacy and market exposure.