OpenAI has put forward a proposal to give the U.S. government a 5% stake in the company, according to people familiar with early discussions between OpenAI leadership and the Trump administration. The size of the suggested stake was raised by Chief Executive Sam Altman during those initial conversations, with the stated goal of providing the public a financial share of value produced by artificial intelligence.
Altman framed the proposed ownership arrangement as the most direct way to make the benefits of AI available to the public, proposing that a transferable equity stake would align public interests with the companys commercial upside. The proposal as discussed would not necessarily be exclusive to OpenAI - it envisions a similar share from other U.S.-based AI firms - but it is not clear whether those companies would accept such terms.
At this stage it is also unclear if the Trump administration intends to move forward with securing equity stakes from OpenAI or other AI companies. Sources familiar with the talks indicated there has been no definitive decision by the administration to pursue the arrangement.
Supporters of the idea see an ownership stake as a tool to improve relations with Washington and to address political pushback by distributing some of the wealth generated by advanced AI systems more broadly. Critics and other stakeholders could raise questions about valuation, governance, and precedent, but the discussions reported to date have centered on the concept of public participation in AI gains rather than on specific implementation details.
In a related development, U.S. officials are reported to be in advanced negotiations with AI firms to establish voluntary standards governing the release of new models. Those talks follow interventions by the Trump administration in June, and the standards under consideration would create benchmarks for models with advanced cyber capabilities and set timelines intended to coordinate future launches. Insiders indicated such standards could be announced as soon as next week, though final content and uptake remain subject to ongoing discussion.
Taken together, the equity proposal and the model-release standards represent parallel efforts by industry and government actors to manage the political and security implications of fast-developing AI technology. Both sets of talks are described as ongoing, with significant details - including other firms’ willingness to participate and any formal commitment from the administration - still unresolved.