The company said it wants to spread “democratic AI,” or “AI that protects and incorporates long-standing democratic principles.” That includes “the freedom for people to choose how they work with and direct AI, the prevention of government use of AI to amass control, and a free market that ensures free competition.”
The effort, OpenAI continued, would “contribute to broad distribution of the benefits of AI, discourage the concentration of power, and help advance our mission.” Partnering closely with the U.S. government, it said, is “the best way to advance democratic AI.”
More concretely, the blog post announcing the expanded Stargate said the goal is to build data centers overseas; and provide versions of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbots that are customized for each country’s language and culture. It also promised to strengthen security and safety of AI and launch national startup funds in individual countries with local funding and OpenAI capital.
The initiative aligns with efforts by the Trump Administration to win what it considers a fierce AI race at all costs—to protect the U.S. economy as well as prevail in the geopolitical AI chess game against China. “I think it’s a signal that we understand what is at stake,” said Daniel Newman, CEO of analyst firm The Futurum Group in an email—that is, that future world economic leadership will be decided by AI. He pointed to a recent speech by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in which he said the “U.S. must win AI and quantum, nothing else matters.”
But if Stargate is positioned as the infrastructure layer for OpenAI’s global expansion, those participating in its new initiative may be required to align with certain U.S. policies to gain access. Unlike typical corporate partnerships, this isn’t about business customers—it’s about national governments partnering with OpenAI to access cutting-edge AI technology. If OpenAI’s ecosystem becomes the only viable gateway for countries to obtain the most advanced AI capabilities, it could compromise their control over their data and technology. It also raises deeper questions about human rights including data privacy and state-level surveillance, as well as geopolitical considerations involved with using AI infrastructure controlled by U.S. interests.
“Building AI that’s attuned to the needs of ordinary people in their own languages has the potential to provide real value,” said Miranda Bogen, director of the AI Governance Lab at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that advocates for digital rights and freedom of expression. “But partnering with nation states raises serious questions about how to protect human rights against government demands. This has been a thorny challenge for tech companies over the past two decades; it’s only going to be more true with AI.”
But as the U.S. pushes for AI dominance, OpenAI may be looking beyond just creating “democratic AI.” It may also be looking to fill its own critical gaps in technical research that would help it consolidate more soft power while continuing its mission to develop its version of artificial general intelligence (AGI), or AI that matches or surpasses human capabilities in various tasks.
Langlais pointed out that while much of AI funding has been funneled into building applications for AI, foundational research remains underfunded. Extending Stargate abroad could create R&D hubs where local startups with deep technical expertise could be targeted by OpenAI for acqui-hires and strategic partnerships.
“And yes, [that would] obviously reinforce OpenAI centrality,” he said.
