Innovation Accounts should do for the potential AI job wipeout what Trump Accounts did for children

The United States is at the center of the global artificial intelligence industry, home to most of the world’s leading AI companies. Yet many Americans do not feel they are sharing in the prosperity generated by the technology.

That disconnect is becoming more important as AI drives strong financial performance and new wealth creation. The gains are visible in markets, but ownership of the innovation remains limited for many citizens.

AI growth is producing major returns

Tech-focused hedge funds returned an average of 27% in the first half of 2026, while the Nasdaq-100 gained about 20%. Those figures show the scale of the economic momentum surrounding technology companies and AI-related growth.

However, market gains do not automatically benefit people who do not own the assets producing them. Many Americans therefore miss out on profits linked to the expansion of AI, even as the industry becomes a larger force in the economy.

The ownership gap could widen

As AI scales, the divide between those who own the innovation and those who do not is likely to grow rather than close. That creates a challenge beyond short-term market performance: how broadly the wealth generated by AI is distributed.

The central issue is participation. The United States has built a leading position in AI, but broader access to the technology’s financial upside will depend on whether more Americans can share in its ownership. Without that, rapid innovation may continue to expand wealth while leaving many citizens outside the gains.