OpenAI has discussed giving the US government a five percent ownership stake as the artificial intelligence giant seeks to smooth relations with the Trump administration, the Financial Times reported Thursday.CEO Sam Altman has argued that giving the public a financial stake in the $852 billion company is the best way to share the benefits of AI.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.According to the report, citing people familiar with the talks, Altman has raised the idea in conversations with White House officials including President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.The proposed arrangement would see other leading US AI companies hand over a similar stake, with OpenAI suggesting each developer allot five percent of their equity to a special investment vehicle.This would be modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund, which invests the state’s oil wealth and pays dividends to residents, the FT said.The talks were described as in early stages, with any deal potentially requiring an act of Congress, the report said.AI companies have faced growing political headwinds in Washington as lawmakers and the public raise concerns about massive data center construction, job displacement and cybersecurity risks.OpenAI and rival Anthropic have both recently had the release of cutting-edge models blocked or limited by US government scrutiny.Altman has spoken in recent weeks with Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, who has pushed for public ownership of closer to half of each US AI company through a sovereign wealth fund.Trump on June 2 said he intended to meet top artificial intelligence firms to discuss the possibility of the government taking a stake in their companies to address public concern over AI.The idea comes as OpenAI is preparing for a public listing, though the company faces significant financial pressure from the soaring costs of AI infrastructure -- expenses that are increasingly raising doubts among Wall Street investors about the sector’s path to profitability.Read more: Elon Musk loses blockbuster OpenAI suit as jury says too late