OpenAI has explored the idea of giving the US government a 5% equity stake as part of efforts to strengthen ties with the Trump administration and broaden 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 talks with US officials, the Financial Times said, citing two people familiar with the talks.
The idea would be for major American AI companies to contribute similar shares to a public investment vehicle, taking inspiration from the Alaska Permanent Fund, which distributes returns from state investments to residents.
The initiative aims to address increasing political scrutiny of the industry by giving the public a direct financial stake in the long-term growth of the sector. Senior Trump administration officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were reportedly involved in the discussions, although any such deal would likely require congressional approval.
It is unclear whether other companies with interests in AI, including Anthropic, Google (GOOG) and Meta (META), would support the proposal, the Financial Times said.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, declined to comment to the Financial Times. CoinDesk has reached out to OpenAI for further comment.
The San Francisco-based company confidentially filed draft IPO documentation with the U.S. 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.
