OpenAI Explored Giving Washington a 5% Equity Share in AI Wealth Plan

OpenAI held early discussions about offering the U.S. government a 5% equity stake as part of a broader initiative to distribute artificial intelligence-generated wealth to the American public, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

The proposal was reportedly raised by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman during preliminary conversations with U.S. officials. Under the concept, leading AI companies would contribute comparable equity shares to a public investment vehicle modeled on Alaska's Permanent Fund — a state-run mechanism that pays annual dividends to Alaska residents from returns on resource investments.

Senior Trump administration figures were involved in early talks, according to the FT. Those officials reportedly included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The arrangement, however, remains conceptual and would likely require an act of Congress before it could take effect.

The initiative is framed partly as a political strategy. By giving the broader public a direct financial interest in the AI sector's growth, proponents believe it could reduce regulatory and legislative pressure on companies developing large-scale AI systems. OpenAI declined to comment to the Financial Times. CoinDesk separately reached out to the company for a response.

It remains uncertain whether other prominent players in the AI space would back a similar arrangement. The FT noted that Anthropic, Alphabet's Google, and Meta are among the companies whose participation would be unclear.

The disclosure comes as OpenAI navigates a critical period in its corporate development. The San Francisco-based company confidentially submitted draft IPO paperwork to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in June. OpenAI has since indicated it has not committed to a specific listing timeline, and recent reporting suggests its advisers are considering pushing a public offering back to 2027.

The proposal represents one of several moves OpenAI has made to deepen its relationship with the Trump administration since the start of 2025. The company has been among the most visible corporate participants in White House-led AI policy initiatives, and Altman has met with administration officials on multiple occasions to discuss the sector's regulatory and economic future.

Whether the equity-stake concept advances beyond informal discussions will depend on both political appetite in Congress and the willingness of other major AI developers to participate. No formal legislation or regulatory filing related to the proposal has been reported as of the time of publication.