President Donald Trump is exploring ways for the U.S. public to share in the profits of leading AI companies, a response to mounting concern that the sector's expected wealth will bypass ordinary Americans. The administration is weighing several approaches, including government equity stakes, targeted taxes, and direct payments to citizens, according to Reuters reporting on June 22, 2026.
The discussions come as AI developers OpenAI and Anthropic both confidentially filed for U.S. initial public offerings this month. OpenAI is targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion. Any deal granting the government equity could reshape federal revenues on a scale rarely seen outside natural resource windfalls.
Taxes paid in stock
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, has proposed that large AI firms give the government a 50% ownership stake and board representation. "The American people should be able to stop what's bad and benefit from the financial gains of AI," Sanders said.
The concept echoes a proposal from two law professors for a tax payable in stock rather than cash. Jeremy Bearer-Friend, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said the approach would transfer equity to the government without requiring public investment and would not give the government a controlling stake.
Equity in exchange for public funding
Another model follows the government's deal with Intel, where it took a 10% stake in exchange for billions in funding to expand domestic manufacturing. The AI sector needs regular, large capital injections. Alphabet, parent of Google DeepMind, said this month it would increase its equity offerings to $84.75 billion.
Free-market analysts warn against replicating the Intel arrangement. Neil Chilson, who leads AI policy at the Abundance Institute, said: "It puts the government in the space where it's no longer focused on ensuring the U.S. has the capacity it needs to protect the public interest and is more focused on ensuring that its investment pays off."
OpenAI has discussed federal loan guarantees for chip plants but has not pursued similar arrangements for data centers, CEO Sam Altman said in November.
Payments to Americans
OpenAI in April proposed creating a "public wealth fund" to invest in AI companies and distribute proceeds to citizens. Anthropic said it is studying a "digital dividend" - payments to Americans funded by taxes on the AI sector.
The idea draws parallels with the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state-owned corporation seeded with oil revenues that provides annual dividends to residents. Proponents argue a similar model fits AI, which relies heavily on publicly created data. Joseph Blasi, who teaches corporate governance at Rutgers University, said: "The public infrastructure in the United States is a citizen domain. It's not something that a billionaire here or there or a trillionaire here or there can just grab."
Why this matters for government, finance, and tech professionals
The proposals under discussion could alter tax policy, corporate governance, and federal revenue streams. For finance and government professionals, a stock-based tax or public wealth fund would create new compliance, valuation, and distribution mechanisms. Tech and research teams at firms like OpenAI and Anthropic would face board-level government representation if Sanders' model advances. The outcome of these discussions will shape how AI profits flow - and to whom - for decades.
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