US wants a stake in AI boom. Officials discuss equity in OpenAI and peers: Report

As artificial intelligence companies race towards trillion-dollar valuations and blockbuster stock market listings, senior US officials are weighing a proposal that could give the federal government a direct financial stake in the industry's success, according to a report by digital news outlet NOTUS.

According to the report, senior administration officials have held preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the possibility of the federal government obtaining equity stakes in their businesses.

The report said discussions have centred on a proposal under which AI companies would voluntarily cede a portion of their shares to the government.

Any returns generated from those holdings could then be channelled towards public purposes, including dividend payments to American households.

AI riches and public benefit

The proposal reflects a growing debate in Washington over how the economic gains from artificial intelligence should be distributed as the technology reshapes industries and creates enormous wealth for technology companies and investors.

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With AI firms attracting hundreds of billions of dollars in investment and commanding soaring valuations, policymakers are increasingly grappling with concerns that the benefits of the technology could be concentrated among a small group of companies and shareholders.

The reported discussions suggest some officials are exploring ways to allow the broader public to share in the financial upside of the AI revolution.

Altman reportedly floated the idea

The report said OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has discussed the concept with government officials since President Donald Trump began his second term.

According to NOTUS, Altman first pitched the idea directly to Trump in 2025 and has revisited the proposal in conversations with senior administration officials in recent weeks.

The concept has been presented as a mechanism to spread the economic gains generated by AI more broadly across society.

Altman has previously advocated policies aimed at addressing the economic disruption that could result from rapid advances in artificial intelligence.

Last year, he said OpenAI had discussed the possibility of federal loan guarantees to help accelerate the construction of semiconductor factories in the United States, although the company was not seeking government guarantees for data-centre projects.

IPOs put AI valuations in focus

The discussions come as leading AI firms prepare for what could become some of the biggest technology listings in recent years.

OpenAI is preparing to confidentially file for an initial public offering, Reuters reported earlier. The company has emerged as one of the world's most valuable private technology firms amid surging demand for generative AI tools.

Anthropic, the developer of the Claude chatbot, confidentially filed for a US IPO earlier this week, setting the stage for another major AI market debut.

However, NOTUS reported that Anthropic is not involved in discussions with the administration about providing equity stakes to the government.

OpenAI, Anthropic and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

A more interventionist approach

The report comes amid growing federal involvement in advanced technology sectors.

Earlier this week, Trump signed an executive order requesting that leading AI developers voluntarily submit their most capable models for government cybersecurity testing before releasing them to the public.

The administration has argued that additional safeguards are necessary as AI systems become more powerful and increasingly integrated into critical sectors of the economy.

In another sign of a more interventionist approach, the administration announced in May that it would acquire $2 billion worth of equity stakes across nine quantum-computing companies.

While the proposal involving AI firms remains preliminary, it underscores how policymakers are increasingly looking beyond regulation and considering new ways to ensure the economic rewards of artificial intelligence are shared more broadly.

As the AI boom gathers pace and leading companies move closer to public markets, questions over who benefits from the technology's extraordinary wealth creation are likely to become a more prominent feature of the political debate in Washington.