OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has discussed giving 5% of the company’s equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, according to the Financial Times. The preliminary proposal would give the public a financial stake in the growth of artificial intelligence while helping OpenAI address increasing political scrutiny.
Other major U.S. AI companies would be encouraged to contribute similar stakes under the proposed structure. However, it remains unclear whether companies such as Anthropic, Google and Meta would participate or how the fund would be governed.
Altman has reportedly discussed the proposal with President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The Financial Times report said the arrangement could help OpenAI maintain positive relations with the administration and respond to concerns about who benefits financially from AI.
Proposal Remains at an Early Stage
The discussions have not produced a formal agreement, and any government ownership arrangement could require approval from Congress. Questions also remain about whether the equity would be donated directly, transferred to a new federal entity or held through an existing government structure.
The proposed fund would reportedly resemble the Alaska Permanent Fund, which invests state oil revenue and distributes annual payments to eligible residents. A U.S. AI fund could similarly use investment returns to provide financial benefits to the public.
Trump acknowledged related discussions in June, saying his administration had considered arrangements where the American public could become a partner in AI companies. No specific equity percentage was disclosed at that time.
OpenAI Has Previously Proposed a Public Wealth Fund
OpenAI outlined a related idea in its Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age paper. The company proposed creating a public wealth fund that could invest in AI developers and businesses deploying the technology.
Returns from the fund could then be distributed to citizens, including people who do not own stocks or have access to private investments. OpenAI said such a structure could allow more people to participate financially in AI-driven economic growth.
Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a more extensive proposal in June through the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act. His bill would impose a one-time stock-based tax that would give the public a 50% ownership stake in large AI companies and place the shares in a federally managed fund.
Sanders’ bill has not advanced beyond its introduction. OpenAI’s proposed 5% contribution also remains under discussion, with no agreement announced by the company or the Trump administration.
Featured image credits: ishmael daro via Flickr
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