President Donald Trump is planning to meet the bosses of America's leading artificial intelligence companies next week to discuss the government taking a financial stake in their businesses, a move he says would "create almost a partnership with the American public". Speaking on Air Force One, Trump confirmed he expects to host the executives at the White House, though he declined to name specific firms. The biggest players in US AI include Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, SpaceX and Anthropic – the latter two are expected to go public in the coming weeks. Representatives for the companies largely did not respond to requests for comment, with only Microsoft offering a spokesman's declination.
Trump compared the potential investment to the US government's 10% stake in chipmaker Intel last year, claiming that the taxpayer has already made money on that deal. But part of the motivation, he said, is to improve Americans' increasingly negative views of the technology. "We're talking about it where the American people can benefit from the success of AI, the American people will like it better," Trump said. The meeting comes as Senator Bernie Sanders has floated a more ambitious plan: a sovereign wealth fund that would take a 50% stake in AI companies. Trump insisted he had been considering US investment for a year and did not dismiss Sanders' proposal. "Where economics are concerned, we have things that aren't that far apart," he said. Sanders' office did not respond to a request for comment.
“Trump to meet AI bosses to discuss state investment, promising a 'partnership with the American public'.”
The overture to the AI industry follows a thawing of tensions with at least one major player. Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, met senior White House officials a few weeks ago – a significant development given the company is embroiled in a lawsuit with the US Department of Defense over contract terms that led to its excision from government operations. The meeting was a sign of easing tensions, and Anthropic this week publicly praised Trump's Executive Order on AI. Jack Clark, a co-founder, told BBC Newsnight on Thursday the company was "in daily conversations with the US government and we're finding ways to be helpful to national security".
Meanwhile, OpenAI's Sam Altman travelled to Washington this week and met Sanders. The convergence of private industry and state investment is taking shape across the capital, but the details – and the list of invited companies – remain closely guarded. For now, the president is betting that a direct financial stake can win over a sceptical public.