Trump Explores Government Equity Stakes in Major AI Firms

Donald Trump is exploring options for the United States government to acquire equity stakes in leading artificial intelligence companies to ensure citizens share in the sector's financial gains. The administration is considering several pathways, including exchanging federal funding for equity, implementing taxes payable in stock, or establishing a government-backed Public Wealth Fund. Trump has announced plans to meet with executives from firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic, who have raised the prospect of granting shares to the state or the public.

This initiative aligns with a broader administration policy of taking stakes in strategic sectors, such as Intel and Westinghouse. Concurrently, Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the American A.I. Sovereign Wealth Fund Act. This proposal would impose a one-time 50% tax, payable in stock, on companies with more than $200 million in annual AI-related receipts. Sanders argues that because AI was developed using public research and collective intellectual property, the resulting wealth should benefit humanity rather than a few billionaires.

Under the Sanders proposal, assets estimated at $7 trillion would be managed by a new commission to distribute 5% of its annual value as direct payments to Americans and support public goals in health care, education, and housing. Critics of these government-ownership models warn that such arrangements could distort market incentives and create conflicts of interest between the government's role as a regulator and its role as a shareholder.