OpenAI is in discussions with the US government about handing it a 5 per cent stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. This comes as artificial intelligence (AI) firms face scrutiny from the Donald Trump administration over the potential misuse of advanced models. The Trump administration is also questioning AI companies on whether they would share their profits with the government.
What is the proposal?
The report added that OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman and other executives had suggested that leading US firms allot 5 per cent of their equity to a vehicle similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state-owned corporation seeded with oil revenues that pays annual dividends to Alaska residents and helps support the state’s budget.
Altman has discussed the stake sale with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FT reported. He has also spoken to Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders in recent weeks.
Trump pushes for public stake in AI firms
Earlier, OpenAI had proposed creating a “public wealth fund” to invest in AI companies and distribute the proceeds to citizens. Anthropic, on the other hand, said it was exploring a “digital dividend,” which is defined as payments to Americans funded by taxes on the AI sector.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have confidentially filed for US initial public offerings.
