Government-Backed AI? OpenAI Reportedly in Talks Over US Equity Stake

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is reportedly in discussions with the White House over a government financing deal. It may not happen.

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ChatGPT-maker OpenAI is in "early conversations" with the Trump administration about giving the government a 5% ownership stake in the company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing two anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter.

CEO Sam Altman's proposal reportedly calls for OpenAI to allocate 5% of its equity to a US sovereign wealth fund, a type of state-controlled investment. With OpenAI's current $852 billion valuation, 5% of that would price out at a purchase of $42 billion for the US government.

Under Altman's plan, other AI giants like Google, Meta and Anthropic would do the same, but it's unclear if they would be interested. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.

There's no guarantee the government will make such a deal. But if...

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