President Donald Trump has suggested exploring whether the United States government — or indirectly the American public — could acquire ownership stakes in leading artificial intelligence developers. The White House has not released details of the idea; according to Reuters, Trump may meet industry leaders next week to discuss AI matters.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump called the concept "very interesting," saying it could create a form of partnership between AI companies and American society. He emphasized the proposal merited examination but said no decision has been made.
Reuters cited the NOTUS news site as reporting that senior US officials have already held preliminary discussions with several AI companies about the possibility of government investment. The White House has not confirmed which firms are involved and has not said whether state ownership is on the agenda for next week's summit of AI leaders.
Companies named in reporting on the topic — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta Platforms and SpaceX — declined to comment on the proposal.
Context and motivations
The idea comes amid an ongoing struggle within the Trump administration to balance support for the AI sector with regulatory constraints. In May the White House pulled back from signing an initially proposed presidential order after technology companies objected to some of its provisions; Trump said at the time he did not want rules that might weaken US competitiveness with China. Later the president signed a milder measure asking leading AI developers to voluntarily submit their most powerful models to government cybersecurity tests before public deployment.
Concerns about AI safety have been amplified recently by Anthropic's release of its advanced Mythos model. Experts warn that in the wrong hands such systems could accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks, posing special risks to complex infrastructures like the banking system.
Economic and strategic implications
From an investor and strategic standpoint, the proposal is notable because the US government has already taken stakes in several strategic technology companies, including Intel, and in firms working on rare earths and quantum technologies. If a similar ownership model were applied to the AI sector, it could fundamentally alter how some of the world's most valuable technology companies operate and are valued.
For now, with no formal plan disclosed and no confirmations from the White House or companies, the proposal appears to be at an exploratory and consultative stage rather than a finalized policy.
This article does not constitute investment advice or recommendation.
