OpenAI Explores 5% U.S. Government Stake in Strategic AI Collaboration

Topline

OpenAI is reportedly negotiating with the Trump administration to offer a 5% equity stake to the U.S. government, as disclosed by the Financial Times. This move appears aimed at addressing public concerns about AI-driven job displacement by aligning the government with AI innovation.

Key Details

According to the Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, OpenAI has conducted initial conversations with U.S. officials about the 5% stake proposal.

The proposal also suggests extending similar equity arrangements to other major U.S. AI firms, though participation from competitors like Anthropic, Google, or Meta remains uncertain.

The initiative could strengthen OpenAI’s ties with the Trump administration amid its regulatory focus on advanced AI systems like Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6.

Comparative Framework

Per the report, the proposal draws inspiration from Alaska’s Permanent Fund, a 1976-established sovereign wealth fund using oil revenues to provide annual dividends to residents. Valued at over $91.2 billion as of May 31, this model aims to distribute AI-generated value to the public. The feasibility of involving semiconductor leaders like NVIDIA or AMD remains unclear.

OpenAI’s Prior Stance on Profit Sharing

In April, OpenAI released a policy document addressing “superintelligence,” advocating for a Public Wealth Fund to grant Americans an automatic stake in AI enterprises. Additional proposals included four-day workweeks, corporate tax increases, and AI-driven workforce taxation.

Trump’s Position on Government Ownership in AI

Last year, the U.S. acquired a 10% stake in Intel. Recently, Trump expressed openness to “concepts” where the public could partner with AI companies, calling the idea “interesting” and stating his administration would investigate further.

Related Efforts

According to the Financial Times, Altman has also met with Sen. Bernie Sanders, who proposed a more aggressive 50% government stake in major AI firms via a sovereign wealth fund.

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