OpenAI has discussed giving a 5 per cent stake to the US government as the $852 billion AI start-up seeks to clear political obstacles by securing financial buy-in from the Trump administration.
Sam Altman, chief executive of the ChatGPT maker, has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the company is the best way to share the upside of AI and has suggested a stake of this size in early conversations with the administration, according to two people familiar with the talks.
The proposed arrangement would involve other US AI companies handing over a similar stake, although it is not clear if the other labs would be willing to do so.
Giving the government an ownership stake could help secure good relations with the administration and would mark an attempt to address political blowback by sharing the wealth generated by AI with the public.
RM Block
AI labs have faced an increasingly challenging environment in Washington as the American public and politicians grow more concerned about vast data centre construction and the implications of AI for jobs and cyber security.
OpenAI and its chief rival Anthropic have recently both had the release of their cutting-edge models held up by US scrutiny, while some Republicans and advisers to President Donald Trump favour much tighter regulation of the sector.
The two rivals are also preparing for public listings, which would expand their ownership base and generate big gains for current investors, although OpenAI’s float may not take place until next year.
Altman and other OpenAI executives have suggested that each of America’s leading AI developers allot 5 per cent of their equity to a vehicle like the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign fund that invests the state’s oil wealth into stocks and pays dividends to the state government and residents.
These companies might include Anthropic as well as Google, Meta and others, although it is not clear any of these groups would agree with OpenAI’s proposal.
After publicly attacking Intel’s chief, Trump has swung behind the US chipmaker after the government took a 10 per cent stake.
“Conceptual” talks between the government and OpenAI were in the early stages, and any deal might require an act of Congress to implement, the people said. But the discussions point to a potential mechanism to distribute the financial gains from the technology.
Altman has been in active talks with the administration about the issue of public ownership, including Trump, commerce secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
The OpenAI chief has also spoken to Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks. Sanders has pushed for public ownership of closer to half of each US AI company through a sovereign wealth fund.
OpenAI and Anthropic have previously suggested in economic policy proposals that arrangements such as public or sovereign wealth funds may be required in future to distribute shares to the public.
In April, OpenAI proposed a “public wealth fund” that “provides every citizen — including those not invested in financial markets — with a stake in AI-driven economic growth”.
The OpenAI Foundation, the company’s non-profit arm, said in May that in an AI-led future, “society will likely need new approaches that give people durable stakes in the systems creating value”, pointing to public or sovereign wealth funds.
“The goal is not only to support people through economic change after decisions have already been made, but to give them a stake and a voice in shaping how that change unfolds,” the foundation said in a blog.
OpenAI declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. - Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2026
