The White House is reportedly looking to purchase a stake in OpenAI. The reports have surfaced at a time when Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been meeting with multiple U.S. lawmakers in Washington D.C. to discuss around what’s next for AI as a technology and how best to regulate it.
If the deal materializes, OpenAI could let the U.S. government get equity in the $850 billion company, in exchange for the creation of a “Public Wealth Fund”. Proposed by OpenAI in April, this Public Wealth Fund would be a government-managed investment vehicle seeded with equity from top AI companies with the aim of distributing profits from U.S.’ AI efforts to the American investor community.
OpenAI and the White House have been holding discussions around this possible deal for over a year, CNBC reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump has strongly been advocating national independence and sovereignity in advanced technologies like AI. Building on the sentiment, Altman has been justifying his proposal for a Public Wealth Fund, that could financially prove to all Americans that AI is for the good.
Altman, 41, believes that sharing AI profits with citizens through dividend payouts or public benefits initiative could help ease fears around economic instability and job crashes owing to growth in the technology.
A Public Wealth Fund, Altman reportedly feels, would not only keep AI-generated profits from concentrating among a few private tech owners but also be useful towards investing in nationally beneficial long-term assets.
As of now, details on the official terms related to this OpenAI-White House deal remain unknown.
President Trump, however, did hint at the ongoing talks with AI companies while on Air Force One on Friday.
“There are concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner,” he was quoted as saying. He also noted that he will be meeting with AI players in the very near future.
For now, it remains unclear if the White House is also in talks with other AI players like Anthropic and Perplexity seeking similar stake acquisitions.
After bringing the crypto sector under regulatory oversight, the U.S. is now locking its target to define clear guidelines around AI. In the last few weeks, several companies including Meta, Uber, and Coinbase among others announced massive layoffs with AI in the centre as the reason. From AI bringing more work efficiency to keeping up with skyrocketing AI expenditures — corporates are taking drastic measures to keep up with this technology.
The public sentiment towards AI is now coloured in fear and scrutiny after thousands of white collar professionals were rendered jobless in recent weeks.
For now, the U.S. has only taken small steps to initiate the AI regulation process.
The White House is reportedly planning to establish an AI Task Force to expediate R&D on possible regulatory measures to govern the technology, The Oval Office has also started considering if all AI models should be screened before rolling out commercially.
