Key facts
- OpenAI is reportedly in early talks to offer the U.S. government a 5% equity stake.
- The proposal aims to share the economic benefits of AI with the public.
- Discussions have involved OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and figures from the Trump administration.
- Other leading AI companies may also be asked to contribute a stake.
- The White House is increasing its oversight of advanced AI models.
OpenAI has reportedly discussed offering the U.S. government a 5% equity stake as part of early discussions with the Trump administration, as Washington intensifies its oversight of artificial intelligence.
According to the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter, the proposal was raised in early talks as OpenAI navigates a tougher political environment ahead of a potential public listing. CEO Sam Altman argued that giving the public a financial stake would be the best way to share the economic benefits of the booming AI industry.
The report comes weeks after OpenAI announced it had confidentially submitted an S-1 for a U.S. initial public offering, and as the U.S. government takes a more active role in overseeing advanced AI models. The proposal would see several leading U.S. AI companies contribute a 5% equity stake to a public investment vehicle, though it remains unclear if companies like Anthropic, Google, and Meta would support the idea.
Altman reportedly modeled the proposal on Alaska's Permanent Fund. He has been in talks with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He also reportedly spoke with Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has proposed a one-time 50% tax on the largest AI companies to create a nearly $7 trillion sovereign wealth fund for Americans.
The White House is preparing voluntary standards for frontier AI models, expected as early as next week, which would set security benchmarks and clarify access to advanced AI models. The Trump administration had previously requested a staggered rollout of OpenAI's GPT-5.6 and temporarily imposed export controls on Anthropic's latest models over cybersecurity concerns.