New Delhi: OpenAI is reportedly exploring a proposal that could see the US government receive a 5 per cent stake in the company as part of a broader effort
to ensure Americans benefit from the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. The Financial Times report indicates the concept remains in the early stages and has yet to be decided.
The proposal reportedly came about as a result of a meeting between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and senior officials in the Trump administration. The plan, if it comes into effect, could set a precedent for the economic benefits of AI being shared and help tackle increased regulatory attention on the technology.
OpenAI’s stake could be worth over $42 billion
In the Financial Times, OpenAI executives suggest that the top five US AI firms may each chip in 5 per cent of their stock into an investment fund or a sovereign wealth fund. During the discussions Anthropic, Google and Meta have been cited as companies that would be interested, but there’s no evidence that they’re in favour of the proposal.
If OpenAI is currently valued at $852 billion, as they report, then a 5 per cent stake would be valued at almost $42.6 billion.
Proposal linked to public wealth fund idea
The meetings are between Altman, US President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Altman has also been stated to have met with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has also floated the concept for a sovereign wealth fund to be backed by taxes on AI-related technology.
One suggested idea is based on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which pays out investment income to anyone who resides in Alaska, the report says. One possibility is to look at the investment accounts that would enable American households to reap the long-term advantages of AI businesses.
AI oversight is also under focus
The conversations follow an escalation by the Trump administration of its watch on advanced AI systems. The White House recently approved OpenAI’s plans for deploying its latest AI models, such as a “rolling” launch of GPT-5.6, the Financial Times reports.
The report goes on to say that the plan has been met with mixed reactions. For some investors, it’s a sensible approach to sharing the fruits of AI, while others contend that a government investment in a major AI company may have a negative impact on competition and lead to a similar request from other nations.
