As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and creates enormous wealth, a new proposal from OpenAI could redefine the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington. Instead of simply regulating AI, the US government could become one of its shareholders.
The idea would have sounded far-fetched just a few years ago.
Now it is reportedly being discussed at the highest levels of government.
OpenAI is reportedly in the early stages of discussions about giving the US government a 5% equity stake in the company as part of a broader effort to ensure Americans benefit from the rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
According to reports, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has been holding preliminary talks with senior officials in the Trump administration, including President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Senator Bernie Sanders has also reportedly been involved in discussions around the proposal.
The idea is still at an early, conceptual stage, and there is no guarantee that any agreement will eventually be reached.
The proposal is said to be inspired by Alaska’s Permanent Fund, which invests state oil revenues and pays annual dividends to eligible residents.
Altman has previously argued that as AI generates enormous economic value, ordinary people should also share in the benefits rather than allowing the wealth to remain concentrated among a handful of technology companies and investors.
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Under the reported plan, other major American AI companies, including Anthropic, Google and Meta, could also be encouraged to contribute a similar share to a public investment vehicle, although there is no indication that any of those companies have agreed to do so.
The discussions come as artificial intelligence faces growing political scrutiny in Washington.
Questions over national security, the concentration of wealth, and the influence of a small number of AI firms have become increasingly central to debates about how the technology should be governed.
Supporters believe public ownership could help ensure AI-generated wealth benefits society more broadly. Critics are likely to question how such an arrangement could affect competition, regulation and the government’s oversight of private companies.
The proposal could also have implications for OpenAI’s future plans.
The company is widely expected to pursue a public stock market listing, and any government equity stake would almost certainly require further legal and political approval before becoming reality.
For now, the conversations remain preliminary.
But they reflect a much bigger shift taking place around artificial intelligence: governments are no longer focused only on regulating the technology.
They are increasingly asking whether the public should directly share in the value it creates.
