Sam Altman said some risk should be accepted for the sake of AI’s benefits, and that broad public access to the technology must be guaranteed.
Altman said it would be a completely unacceptable trade-off for a small number of labs to control powerful, dangerous AI and distribute its benefits.
US President Donald Trump has opposed additional AI regulation, saying new rules could make it harder for American companies to compete with China.
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OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said the world should accept some level of risk given the benefits artificial intelligence could bring, and that broad public access to the technology must be preserved.
Reuters reported on October 4 that Altman told Politico’s technology newsletter Decoded that “the world has to tolerate some bad things happening” in exchange for the technology’s benefits and people’s right to use it.
He said OpenAI and rival Anthropic differ fundamentally over AI regulation. Altman called it “a totally unacceptable trade-off” for a small number of labs to control powerful, dangerous AI and decide how its benefits are distributed.
Altman also opposed limiting access in an effort to completely block AI-enabled hacking, fraud and other misuse. He argued that the positive outcomes people create with AI will be “orders of magnitude” greater than the negative ones.
His remarks come as debate across the industry intensifies over the pace of AI development and the risks posed by more advanced systems. Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei argued in September that development of cutting-edge AI should be slowed. Altman also publicly signaled agreement with that view at the time.
Anthropic has warned that increasingly advanced AI models could behave in ways not intended by developers. That could include so-called self-preservation behavior, such as resisting shutdown, concealing information or manipulating users.
By contrast, US President Donald Trump has largely opposed new AI rules, saying additional regulation could make it harder for American companies to compete with China. He has argued that existing law enforcement agencies and current systems can address the risks.