Why Abdul El-Sayed’s AI Plan Is the Blueprint We’ve Been Waiting For

We are at a massive crossroads with artificial intelligence. The decisions being made right now will determine whether AI becomes a tool that elevates human society or an unregulated force that further concentrates wealth and power in the hands of a few tech executives. It is one of my main worries, and it is amazing to see a candidate with an ACTUAL plan.

That is why I am giving my full, enthusiastic endorsement to Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic senatorial primary. Furthermore, my brand, Cup of Culture, is proudly throwing its weight behind his campaign.

When you look at the sweeping, visionary AI regulation platform Abdul just dropped, it’s easy to see why he is the candidate this moment demands. Let me break it down for you…

Moving Past Standard Regulation to Real Public Control

For months, the conversation around AI regulation has been stuck in neutral. We hear a lot of vague talk about “guardrails” and “ethical guidelines,” but very little substance on how to actually hold frontier AI labs accountable.

Abdul’s plan blows past those standard, timid policy proposals by introducing a concept that has been sorely missing from the debate: true democratic governance.

His platform focuses on three massive pillars that would fundamentally rebalance the power dynamic between Big Tech and the public:

• Publicly Handled Boards: Instead of letting corporate shareholders dictate the future of frontier AI, Abdul’s plan would charter these labs as public benefit corporations. Crucially, a majority of their board seats would be publicly appointed or democratically elected. The public gets a literal seat at the table.
• The Sovereign Wealth Fund: AI models are trained on our collective human knowledge—our writing, our art, our data. Abdul argues that the public should own the upside. By taxing the largest AI giants, his plan creates a sovereign wealth fund to pump trillions of dollars directly into education, job retraining, unemployment benefits, and small business loans.
• An FDA for Tech: We wouldn’t let a pharmaceutical company distribute a drug without rigorous testing, yet tech giants roll out massive, society-altering models with zero oversight. Abdul is calling for an FDA-style agency to vet models before deployment, alongside strict biosecurity guardrails and a ban on AI-generated political media.

Standing Up to the Tech Lobby

One of the things I admire most about Abdul is his complete lack of fear. We’ve already seen tech-backed super PACs pour millions into races across the country to defeat lawmakers who dare to propose AI accountability laws.

When asked about the threat of political retaliation, Abdul’s response was characteristically bold: “What’s another hundred-million-dollar super PAC, I guess?”

That is the exact energy we need in the Senate. We don’t need politicians who tweak policies around the edges to avoid upsetting Silicon Valley donors. We need leaders who understand the urgency of the moment. As Abdul perfectly put it: “We need to act yesterday, and at best, we can act tomorrow.”

Why Cup of Culture is All In

At Cup of Culture, we believe that progress is only meaningful if it serves the community as a whole. Technology should enrich our culture, not hollow out our workforce or leave regular people behind.

Abdul El-Sayed’s AI platform isn’t just a tech policy—it’s a economic justice policy. It ensures that the future belongs to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.

We are proud to stand with Abdul. Let’s win this primary and send a true visionary to Washington.

Sean