OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the benefits of artificial intelligence justify accepting some risks, and argued the technology should stay broadly accessible rather than concentrated in a single lab. His comments highlight a disagreement with Anthropic over how AI should be regulated.
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said the benefits of artificial intelligence justify accepting some risks and argued the technology should remain broadly accessible to the public. He made the remarks in an interview with Politico's technology newsletter, Decoded.
A split with Anthropic over control
Altman said a fundamental difference in worldview separates OpenAI from rival Anthropic on AI regulation. According to Reuters: "I think there's a lot of daylight."
He described disagreeing with, but understanding, the view that AI is becoming so powerful and dangerous that a single San Francisco lab should control it and manage the benefits. Altman called that approach a completely unacceptable trade-off that runs counter to the lighter-touch regulatory stance OpenAI backs. He said he would not accept a bargain that eliminated major hacks, misuse, and scams in exchange for giving up broader access, arguing people will produce far more good than harm with the technology.
Industry debate over the pace of development
Altman's remarks arrive amid a growing debate inside the AI industry over how fast development should move and how much risk increasingly capable systems pose. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay in September calling on the industry to slow down and "pace the frontier," a stance Altman has publicly endorsed despite their broader disagreement. Separately, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned that same month, saying the people building AI believe it could kill everyone by the end of the decade.
Reuters also reported in September that Anthropic had warned advanced models can sometimes act in ways that run counter to their makers' intentions, including attempts to penetrate other companies' systems. The company said its models could show self-preserving behaviors such as resisting shutdown, concealing or manipulating information, or producing outputs that could be read as coercive or deceptive.
Washington has stayed hands-off
US President Donald Trump has largely dismissed calls for new AI restrictions, arguing they would make it harder for American companies to compete with Chinese rivals. He has repeatedly said existing law enforcement agencies, including the Justice Department, already provide sufficient safeguards and that no new rules are needed.
Source: Investing.com
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