OpenAI has explored the idea of giving the US government a 5% stake as part of efforts to strengthen ties with the Trump administration and expand public participation in the benefits of artificial intelligence, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
The proposal, which remains in the conceptual stage, was reportedly raised by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during early discussions with US officials, the FT said, citing two people familiar with the talks.
The idea would see leading US AI companies contribute equal shares of equity to a public investment vehicle, taking inspiration from Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which distributes returns from state investments to residents.
The initiative aims to counter growing political control of the industry by giving the public a direct financial stake in the sector’s long-term growth. Discussions reportedly involved senior Trump administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, although such an arrangement would likely require congressional approval.
It is unclear whether other companies with interests in artificial intelligence, including Anthropic, Google ( GOOG ) and Meta ( META ), would support the proposal, the FT said.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, declined to comment to the FT. CoinDesk has contacted OpenAI for further comment.
The San Francisco-based company filed confidential draft IPO papers with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in June. The company has since indicated that it has not committed to a listing timeline. Recent reports suggest advisers are weighing a delay until 2027.
