OpenAI proposed donating 5% of its equity to a US sovereign wealth fund

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has proposed giving 5% of the company's equity to a U.S. sovereign wealth fund, according to the Financial Times. The proposal, which would also involve other AI companies donating similar stakes, is meant to "secure good relations with the administration and address political blowback." Similar discussions were reported by CNBC in June and were subsequently confirmed by President Trump, who said he had discussed concepts where the American public could become a partner with the companies. The talks remain preliminary, and any formal action would likely require congressional approval, which would significantly complicate the matter. The idea of a public AI fund has been publicly discussed by Altman, and OpenAI has grown increasingly specific in its proposals. A policy paper released by OpenAI in April proposed a public wealth fund that could invest directly in AI labs, with returns distributed directly to citizens. A more aggressive version of the policy was proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders in June, calling for a one-time 50% tax on AI company stock to be deposited into a public wealth fund. The bill, called the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, would apply to all "systemically important" AI companies, including those dealing with data centers and robotics, and would allow companies like Google and SpaceX to spin off non-AI portions to avoid taxation. The bill has yet to advance to committee.