OpenAI Reportedly Proposes 5% Government Stake to Trump Administration
Synopsis
OpenAI has reportedly proposed granting the US government a 5% stake, aiming to address regulatory concerns and expand public participation in the AI sector’s future value.
OpenAI has discussed giving the US government a 5% equity stake, as the prospects for openAI firms are raising scrutiny in Washington about the dangers posed by advanced AI models and how Americans might share in rising valuations of the sector.
OpenAI has also suggested other US AI firms should offer comparable stakes to the state, though it remains unclear if they would back such a proposal, the report added.
Proposal Comes Amid Growing AI Policy Scrutiny
The reported proposal follows intensifying political disputes about the economic effects of artificial intelligence, including warnings of jobs being destroyed and calls for new restrictions on future advanced AI systems.
OpenAI postponed the wider release of GPT-5.6 (a model from OpenAI) last week, following a request from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, around the same time as AI startup Anthropic suspended access to its newest AI models following a government order blocking access to foreign nationals, which was then lifted.
Public Wealth Fund Model Proposed
OpenAI executives have suggested a model in which top US AI firms would give 5% of their equity to a vehicle modelled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, using its annual dividends to distribute money to Alaska residents and help pay for the state budget, the Financial Times reported.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has communicated the idea with President Donald Trump among other government officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Senator Bernie Sanders, according to the report.
OpenAI previously suggested creating an open fund to invest in AI companies and share the profit among citizens while Anthropic proposed a digital dividend that would be funded via taxation of the entire AI sector.
Source: Reuters
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