Trump Plans White House AI Investment Talks with Tech Company Leaders
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with the chief executives of leading artificial intelligence (AI) companies at the White House, likely next week. The discussions will centre on the US government acquiring a financial stake in these firms, an initiative Trump framed as creating "almost a partnership with the American public".
While specific companies were not named, major US AI developers include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, SpaceX, and Anthropic. A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment, with representatives from the other companies not responding to inquiries.
Trump drew a parallel to the US government's 10% investment in Intel last year, claiming it has already yielded profit. A core objective of direct AI investment is to enhance public opinion of the technology, which has reportedly become increasingly negative. Trump suggested that if "the American people can benefit from the success of AI, the American people will like it better".
This initiative follows recent activity in Washington, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders, who has proposed a sovereign wealth fund model where the US would take a 50% stake in AI companies. Trump, while asserting he had considered government AI investment for a year, did not dismiss Sanders' concept, noting their economic views are not "that far apart".
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently met senior White House officials. This meeting occurred despite Anthropic's ongoing legal dispute with the US Department of Defence over contract terms. The company publicly endorsed President Trump's Executive Order on AI, with co-founder Jack Clark stating Anthropic is in "daily conversations with the US government" regarding national security contributions.
