According to information provided by three sources familiar with the matter, U.S. government officials have held preliminary discussions with the largest U.S. AI companies regarding investments that would allow the government to acquire equity stakes in these firms.
The sources report that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has been meeting regularly with senior administration officials to discuss this idea since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Altman first proposed this idea to Donald Trump in early 2025 and has since held renewed discussions with senior government officials, particularly in recent weeks. Altman views this plan as an appropriate way to distribute the economic benefits of artificial intelligence more broadly to the public.
Information obtained so far indicates that the discussions focus on AI companies “voluntarily transferring” these shares to the U.S. government. It is planned that the resulting investment returns will be used for the public good.
However, this plan is still in the draft stage, and specific details have not yet been finalized. Additionally, details regarding which AI companies would be included in a potential agreement—or whether it would include companies like Nvidia that produce AI chips—remain unclear.
