OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for a series of meetings with federal lawmakers and officials from the Trump administration to discuss artificial intelligence policy following an executive order issued earlier this week.
Representatives for both House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., confirmed to CNBC that Altman will meet with the leaders. An OpenAI spokesperson also told CNBC that Altman will hold meetings with administration officials at the White House.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday asking AI companies to voluntarily grant the government access to their models for up to 30 days before those models are released. The order is described as lacking detailed specifics, but the broad request has drawn supportive responses from executives at major AI firms on social media.
Altman publicly voiced his support for the executive order in a post on X. He wrote: "The U.S. should lead on AI by continuing to develop the very best models, making sure they’re safe, and getting cyber tools into the hands of trusted defenders. The new EO gets the balance right." The statement highlights both a focus on model development and an emphasis on safety and cybersecurity tools.
The meetings in Washington come amid the administration’s effort to establish a framework for federal oversight of AI development while simultaneously preserving U.S. leadership in the technology sector. Officials and company leaders are engaging directly as the contours of that oversight are being discussed, even as specific implementation details remain limited.
Separately, market-facing services and investment products continue to reference AI-related securities and strategies. One featured investment analysis referenced the ticker OAI and noted that automated strategies have previously identified notable winners in related sectors, citing Super Micro Computer (+185%) and AppLovin (+157%) as past examples of strong returns in selected strategies.
As discussions unfold in congressional offices and at the White House, observers will be watching for further clarification about how the voluntary access provisions will be operationalized and what oversight mechanisms may follow.