OpenAI Considers Giving US Government 5 Percent Equity Stake

(SAN FRANCISCO) – OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is in early stage talks about handing a 5 percent equity stake to the United States government, as it seeks to remove political hurdles and secure support from the administration of President Donald Trump.

According to two sources cited by the Financial Times, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman believes giving the state a financial share in the company is the best way to make sure American citizens benefit from advances in artificial intelligence. He has already raised the matter during talks with Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. In recent weeks, Altman also met Senator Bernie Sanders, who supports an even larger model of state participation in the capital of American AI companies.

The proposed model also suggests that other American firms working on AI could hand a similar stake to the state. These include Anthropic, Google, Meta and others, though it is not known whether they are ready to support such an initiative.

Altman and other OpenAI leaders have proposed that each of the leading American AI developers transfer 5 percent of its capital into a structure similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, a sovereign fund that invests state oil revenues and pays dividends to the government of Alaska and its residents.

The Financial Times notes that the talks are at an early stage and remain conceptual in nature. Putting such a model into effect would likely require approval from the United States Congress.

American AI companies are facing increasingly close attention from authorities and the public over concerns about large scale data centre construction, as well as the potential effects of AI on jobs and cybersecurity.

OpenAI declined to comment on the talks. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment from the Financial Times.