Trump had phone call with OpenAI’s Sam Altman last week [Video]

Prior to officially becoming president, Donald Trump held a lengthy conversation with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to discuss the potential of artificial intelligence and the need to develop the technology in the U.S., CNBC has learned.

During the chat Friday, Trump was particularly animated about building AI in the U.S. instead of having it developed in China, and what that could mean for job creation and confidence in the U.S. during his administration, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the conversation was private.

Following Trump’s inauguration Monday, the president quickly got to work touting the importance of AI. He announced a joint venture on Tuesday with OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank to invest billions of dollars in AI infrastructure in the U.S. OpenAI’s participation is notable because Altman is in the midst of a heated legal battle with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a Trump advisor and his top …