Zhidx, June 6 — According to Bloomberg, U.S. President Trump expressed his intention to allow the U.S. government to hold shares in leading AI companies and said he plans to discuss cooperation ideas with AI company executives as early as next week.
On Friday, when asked by reporters about this aboard Air Force One, Trump said, "There are some options that could give part of the shares to the American public, making them actual partners." This is interesting; it can almost establish partnerships with the American public, and we will look into it. He has communicated with the relevant companies about this idea, but has not disclosed specific details.
Additionally, according to US media CNBC on Friday, OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman and the White House are negotiating possible U.S. government shares in OpenAI.
An anonymous insider revealed that this discussion has been ongoing for more than a year. Altman first shared this idea with the Trump administration in early 2025.
In response to reports about the U.S. government investing in AI companies, OpenAI responded that the company publicly proposed establishing a public wealth fund in April. According to information disclosed by OpenAI in April, the fund can invest in diversified long-term assets and will allow the public to directly share in the benefits brought by AI growth.
According to a report by NOTUS yesterday, senior U.S. officials have held preliminary discussions with several major AI companies regarding the possibility of the federal government acquiring some of these companies' shares. Altman has recently discussed the idea again with U.S. government officials, aiming to bring the economic benefits of AI to the public more broadly, focusing on encouraging these companies to voluntarily transfer their shares to the government.
One insider said the investment proceeds could then be used for public purposes, such as distributing dividends to all American households.
According to an insider, Anthropic has not had any conversations with the U.S. government regarding equity.
Altman met with a range of U.S. lawmakers and government officials this week to discuss the latest developments in regulation and AI. Insiders say that as part of a potential agreement, OpenAI may donate equity to the U.S. government to promote public wealth funds.
OpenAI's valuation has exceeded $850 billion (about 5.75 trillion RMB) and is preparing for an IPO this year. Tech companies like OpenAI play a central role in shaping the White House's stance on emerging technologies.
On Friday, Trump signed a directive directing the federal national security organization to "accelerate AI adoption to meet surging demand" and to quickly adopt "cutting-edge AI models from multiple vendors." Just a few days ago, Trump also signed an executive order requiring AI companies to voluntarily provide the government with 30 days of model access before releasing them.
Altman commented on social platform X: "The U.S. should take a leading role in AI, continue to develop the best models, ensure their security, and hand network tools over to trusted defenders." The new executive order strikes a balance. ”
Trump had signed an executive order in February requiring the federal government to establish a sovereign wealth fund. Since Trump returned to the White House, the U.S. government has invested in nearly ten companies, including Intel, IBM, and several quantum and critical minerals firms.
It is currently unclear how the U.S. government will acquire equity in the AI joint venture and how many shares might be transferred.
According to NOTUS, the legal mechanisms for AI companies transferring equity to the government remain unclear, which may pose obstacles to implementing this idea. It is currently unclear how much progress the negotiations have made, and ultimately no agreement may be reached.
