OpenAI founder Sam Altman is back pushing the idea of sharing the wealth generated by artificial intelligence with ordinary Americans. According to MIT Technology Review, discussions are underway at high levels for some form of universal dividend linked to AI profits. At the same time, the US Treasury has issued a warning about systemic risks from the concentration of AI power. Two stories that together paint a clear picture: the US is preparing to govern the redistribution of AI value at a national level, while Europe — and Italy — keep talking about “regulation” without ever addressing ownership and economic benefit.
We, at Meteora Web, have managed businesses for nearly a decade. Daily we see SMEs struggling to digitize, often with tight budgets and little training. Altman’s proposal is not just a Silicon Valley stunt: it is a symptom of a conscious strategy. The US wants citizens to perceive AI as a common good — thus legitimizing centralized control by big tech. The Treasury warns that if no action is taken, the gap between those who own the models and those who use them will become unbridgeable.
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Our position is clear: Europe cannot simply act as a notary of the AI revolution.
Regulation is necessary but not enough. The EU AI Act is a step toward transparency, but it says nothing about how value generated by models should flow back to businesses and citizens. Meanwhile in Italy, SMEs still struggle to understand whether an AI assistant costs less than a part-time employee. We know this firsthand — we come from accounting, balance sheets, margins. If a technology doesn’t improve the bottom line, it is hype. Altman talks about $300 per family? In Italy, €300 can mean the difference between an e-commerce that survives and one that closes. But if that money goes into ChatGPT subscriptions rather than internal skills, the net result is zero.
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The real digital divide is about the ability to capture value, not just use tools. Italian businesses must ask: are we feeding big tech, or building our own data and automation stack? Here in Sciacca, we chose Laravel and proprietary platforms precisely to avoid data hostage. Owning your stack beats renting it, always.
Altman’s proposal raises an uncomfortable question: who owns the future? If Europe does not answer with a proprietary model — perhaps based on open-source AI, cooperation among SMEs, and real fiscal incentives — Americans will split the pie and we will get the crumbs. No need to be prophets: look at what happened with social media. Today digital advertising is a US monopoly. With AI, we risk the same movie, only faster.
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What to do: Italian SMEs must stop using AI just to “run a test”. Invest in strategic training, choose providers that guarantee data sovereignty, and demand that industry associations and government create a redistribution fund for AI adoption in traditional sectors. No blanket subsidies: a plan linking AI use to revenue and employment goals. We, in our small way, do this every day with clients: if a technology doesn’t bring sales or measurable savings, we don’t sell it. Everything else is storytelling.
