OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the White House are in ongoing discussions about possible government involvement in the intelligence firm, CNBC confirmed Friday.
Discussions have been going on for more than a year, with Altman first sharing the idea with the Trump administration in 2025, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential.
Discussions continued this week as Altman met with a range of lawmakers and officials in Washington about the law and the latest developments in AI.
As part of a possible deal, OpenAI could donate equity to the US government to invest in something like the “Public Wealth Fund” the company mentioned in its April policy proposal, the person said.
OpenAI said the fund would “invest in diverse, long-term assets” and would enable citizens to participate in the “peak” of AI growth, possibly by receiving the fund’s benefits directly, according to the proposal.
No official investment terms have been set, and details are still subject to change. Notus was the first to report the latest negotiations.
President Donald Trump delivered the speech while on Air Force One to reporters on Friday.
“There are ideas where pieces can be given to the American public, where the American public becomes a partner,” he said.
The president said he is meeting with AI companies “in the very, very near future.”
Trump signed an executive order in February requiring the federal government to create a sovereign wealth fund.
The Trump administration is already involved IntelInternational Business Machines and other quantum and critical mineral companies during the second term of the president.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., told CNBC that he and Altman discussed the idea of a private equity fund during their meeting Wednesday.
OpenAI has been valued at more than $850 billion by private investors, and the company is preparing for an initial public offering as soon as this year. The company closed a record-breaking funding round in March co-led by MGX, backed by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund.
Tech companies like OpenAI have played a key role in shaping White House positions on emerging technologies.
Trump on Friday signed an executive order ordering national security agencies to “accelerate the adoption of AI to meet peak demand” and quickly tap into “more advanced AI models from multiple vendors.”
The order came days after Trump signed an executive order asking AI companies to voluntarily give the government access to their models up to 30 days before their release. The order is sparse on specifics, but executives from leading AI companies, including Altman, expressed their support on social media.
“The US must lead in AI by continuing to develop the best models, ensuring that it is safe, and getting cyber tools into the hands of reliable defenders,” Altman wrote in a post on X. “The new EO gets the balance right.”
— CNBC’s Karen Sloan and Emily Wilkins contributed to this story.
