Anthropic, White House Have Not Discussed Government Stake in Firm

Last week it was reported that OpenAI had offered the government a stake in the company.

So far, rival artificial intelligence startup Anthropic does not seem to have followed suit, according to a corresponding report from Reuters. A source familiar with the matter told the news outlet that the White House and Anthropic have not talked about the government taking a stake in the company.

That comment followed a Financial Times report that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had discussed giving the federal government a 5% share of the company, which Reuters says raises the question of whether other AI firms are holding similar talks.

Both companies, the report added, are facing government scrutiny over possible misuse of advanced AI models, and whether the public would benefit from the sector’s soaring valuations.

Last month, the Commerce Department imposed and then later lifted export controls on two of Anthropic’s most advanced models following concerns that the tools did not come with proper safeguards. The government has also increased oversight on new models, the report added, though submitting these models for review is voluntary.

President Donald Trump has said he was considering plans to offer the public a stake in leading AI companies. The FT report also noted that Altman had in recent weeks talked with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Sanders has lobbied for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund allowing for public ownership of nearly half of each American AI company.

In other AI news, new research from PYMNTS Intelligence suggests that employers are becoming an increasingly influential force in guiding which AI platforms consumers use in their personal lives.

As covered here last week, 78% of employees whose companies provide access to an AI platform say they use the same tool outside of work.

“For years, much of the industry’s public discussion has centered on model performance. Companies compete over benchmark scores, reasoning capabilities, multimodal functionality and increasingly sophisticated AI agents,” that report said.

“Those advances remain important, but the PYMNTS findings suggest another competitive variable may prove equally influential: consistent daily exposure to AI tools.”

Unlike regular consumer software adoption, which hinges on convincing people to try a new application, enterprise AI introduces users via daily work requirements. Employees learn prompting techniques, develop workflows and build confidence using tools at work before deciding if those tools will be useful at home.

“That familiarity appears to carry significant weight,” PYMNTS added. “Rather than beginning their consumer AI journey by comparing competing models, many users simply continue using the platform they already know.”

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