OpenAI proposes giving the U.S. government a 5% stake as AI companies face growing scrutiny, FT reports

OpenAI has discussed giving the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, according to a Financial Times report, a move that would mark a major shift in the relationship between Washington and the companies building the most valuable AI systems.

The proposal comes as AI firms face growing political scrutiny over safety, national security, job disruption, and whether the American public should share in the financial upside of a technology expected to reshape large parts of the economy.

According to the FT, OpenAI has suggested that other U.S. AI companies make similar equity grants to Washington, though it remains unclear whether rivals would support the idea. The report cited two people familiar with the discussions.

“Sam Altman’s start-up in early talks for a public ownership deal as political pressure rises,” The Financial Times reported.

Inside the proposal to give the U.S. government an equity stake in OpenAI

The latest report builds on earlier reporting from CNBC, which said in early June that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and White House officials had been discussing a possible U.S. government stake in the company for more than a year. CNBC reported that the talks began in 2025 and continued this week, with Altman meeting with lawmakers and Trump administration officials in Washington to discuss AI policy and regulation.

The latest talks come at a sensitive moment for OpenAI and the broader AI sector. Public concern over AI-driven layoffs, model misuse, foreign access, and runaway valuations has intensified in Washington. At the same time, leading AI companies are trying to manage regulatory risk ahead of potential public listings.

Last week, OpenAI delayed the wide release of its latest AI model, GPT-5.6, after a request from the Trump administration. The delay came days after Anthropic suspended access to its most advanced models, including Fable 5, following a government order intended to keep the technology out of foreign nationals’ hands. The U.S. removed curbs on Anthropic’s AI models on Tuesday.

The idea of a government stake in OpenAI would have seemed unusual a few years ago. Now, it fits into a broader policy shift in Washington. The Trump administration has taken equity positions in companies tied to critical minerals and semiconductors, part of a push to secure supply chains and reduce dependence on China. Last year, the government took a roughly 10% stake in Intel and a 15% holding in MP Materials.

AI may be next.

Last month, President Donald Trump said he was exploring ways to give the public a stake in leading AI companies, citing concerns that ordinary Americans could miss out on the sector’s expected profits. Senator Bernie Sanders has gone much further, calling for the government to take a 50% stake in major AI companies. Sanders has argued that AI systems are built on human knowledge used without permission or compensation.

OpenAI’s proposed structure would reportedly give leading U.S. AI companies 5% of their equity to a vehicle modeled on the Alaska Permanent Fund. The Alaska fund, seeded with oil revenue, pays annual dividends to residents and helps fund the state budget, Reuters reported.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has discussed the proposal with Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to the FT. He has also spoken with Sanders in recent weeks.

Could government ownership become the next phase of the AI boom or bubble?

The proposal builds on ideas OpenAI and Anthropic have already floated. OpenAI has previously called for a “public wealth fund” that would invest in AI companies and distribute returns to citizens. Anthropic has proposed a “digital dividend,” funded by taxes on the AI sector.

For OpenAI and Anthropic, the timing matters. Both companies are expected to seek public market exits, and regulatory uncertainty could weigh heavily on investor confidence. A government equity stake could help reduce some of that risk by aligning Washington’s financial interests with the success of the companies it regulates.

Forrester analyst Indranil Bandyopadhyay said a pre-IPO government stake could ease investor concerns about U.S. regulation, but it could also create new complications overseas.

“Expect other jurisdictions to demand analogous arrangements as a condition of market access and expect enterprise buyers in Europe and Asia-Pacific to reassess data sovereignty and neutrality assumptions about US model providers.”

That is the tradeoff facing OpenAI. Giving Washington a slice of the company could help it navigate U.S. politics, but it may raise new questions abroad about whether American AI firms are private companies, strategic national assets, or something in between.

For now, the proposal remains an idea under discussion. Yet the fact that OpenAI is talking about it shows how much the AI debate has changed. The question is no longer just who builds the most advanced models. It is those who own the upside when those models become part of the global economy.