Donald Trump to Meet AI Leaders, Proposes US Government Take Equity Stake
US President Donald Trump is set to meet with leaders of major artificial intelligence (AI) firms, including, by implication, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Anthropic. The proposed discussions centre on the US government acquiring financial stakes in these companies. Speaking from Air Force One, Mr Trump framed this as an endeavour to forge “almost a partnership with the American public”.
The President expects the White House meetings to occur next week. This strategy follows the US government's acquisition of a 10% stake in Intel last year, which Mr Trump claims has already yielded profit. A stated aim of direct government investment in AI companies is to improve public perception of the technology, which has reportedly become increasingly negative.
Mr Trump indicated that discussions with AI leaders would explore avenues for the American populace to “benefit from the success of AI”, thereby making the technology more palatable. This initiative comes as OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman recently met Senator Bernie Sanders in Washington DC. Senator Sanders has previously suggested a sovereign wealth fund model, proposing a 50% government stake in AI enterprises.
While Mr Trump asserted he had been contemplating government AI investment for a year, he did not dismiss Senator Sanders' proposal, noting that “where economics are concerned, we have things that aren’t that far apart.” Separately, Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, recently held talks with senior White House officials, signalling a potential easing of tensions despite an ongoing lawsuit between Anthropic and the US Department of Defence regarding contract terms. Anthropic has publicly endorsed President Trump’s Executive Order on AI, with co-founder Jack Clark confirming “daily conversations with the US government” on national security contributions.
