"Trump administration discusses taking stake in OpenAI"... AI growth gains to be shared with citizens
- Input
- 2026-06-06 03:50:49
- Updated
- 2026-06-06 03:50:49
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The Trump administration is now said to be discussing the possibility of securing a stake in AI startup OpenAI.
The Trump administration has already moved from seeking a stake in United States Steel Corporation (U.S. Steel) to exchanging government support for Intel for equity. More recently, it has also pursued stakes in quantum computing companies including IBM, and now appears to be expanding that approach to AI.
On the 5th, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Federal Government of the United States to create a sovereign wealth fund. In parallel, officials have confirmed that a plan to secure a government stake in the AI sector is also under discussion.
Citing sources on the 5th (local time), CNBC reported that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is in related talks with the White House.
According to the sources, the discussions have been ongoing for more than a year, beginning last year.
Altman also met with various lawmakers and officials in Washington, D.C. this week to exchange views on AI regulation and the latest developments. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont told CNBC that he met Altman on the 3rd and discussed the concept of a sovereign wealth fund.
Under a tentative agreement, OpenAI proposed a "Public Wealth Fund" in April last year. The idea is that if part of the company's stake is donated to the government, that equity could be used to launch the PWF.
OpenAI said the PWF could be invested in "distributed, long-term assets" and stressed that the fund's returns could be shared directly with citizens, allowing them to benefit from AI's growth.
However, CNBC said no formal investment terms have been decided yet, and the details could still change.
OpenAI, which ushered in the full-scale AI era with the release of ChatGPT-3.5 in November 2022, is now valued at more than $850 billion. The company is expected to go public this year.
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dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter