OpenAI wants to make every American a shareholder in the AI revolution. The company has proposed creating a Public Wealth Fund that would invest in AI firms and distribute returns to all US citizens, including the tens of millions who don’t own a single share of stock.
The idea isn’t purely theoretical anymore. As of early June, OpenAI and the Trump administration have been actively discussing a potential equity donation of between 1% and 5% from OpenAI to help seed the fund. Think of it as Alaska’s Permanent Fund, but instead of oil royalties, the dividends come from the companies building the most transformative technology since the internet.
From policy paper to White House conversations
OpenAI laid out its vision on April 6 in a policy paper titled “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First.” The core argument: AI will generate enormous wealth, but that wealth will concentrate among a small number of companies and their investors unless governments intervene early.
The proposed fund would diversify into long-term assets connected to AI growth. It would target not just AI developers but also companies adopting AI tools, broadening the investment base beyond the usual suspects in Silicon Valley.
