OpenAI is in talks with the US government about giving it a stake in the company, according to a media report. The proposal would also include other AI companies and could help soften political pushback.
OpenAI has discussed handing a five percent stake to the Trump administration, the Financial Times reports, citing two people familiar with the talks. At a valuation of $852 billion, that stake would be worth more than $40 billion.
CEO Sam Altman argues that giving the public a financial stake is the best way to share the profits from AI development, according to the report. The talks are still at an early, "conceptual" stage. They have reportedly been going on for more than a year. Putting the plan into action could require an act of Congress.
A sovereign wealth fund modeled on Alaska
The proposal calls for all leading US AI developers, not just OpenAI, to contribute five percent of their shares to a shared vehicle, according to the Financial Times. The model is the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state fund that invests the state's oil revenue in stocks and pays dividends to the government and residents.
