OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a fresh warning about the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, saying the technology could have devastating consequences for humanity if its development is not properly managed.
Altman identified two major risks that he believes the world must avoid as increasingly powerful AI systems are developed.Read original
In a post on X shortly after midnight on Monday, the OpenAI boss said humanity could either lose control of its future to artificial intelligence or face a world where too much power is concentrated in the hands of a single person or company.
“There are two ways AI progress could go very badly, and that we must avoid,” Altman wrote.
Altman Says Humanity Must Remain in Control
According to Altman, one of the biggest dangers is a situation where artificial intelligence becomes powerful enough for humans to lose control over the direction of the future.
“This is unacceptable; we are unapologetically on Team Humanity,” he said.
His second concern is the concentration of AI power.
Altman warned that an extremely powerful AI system controlled by one individual or company could potentially be used to impose that person's or organisation's worldview on society.
“If an extraordinarily powerful AI is used by one person or company to impress their worldview onto everyone else, the results could be extremely dystopian,” he said.
The comments come amid growing concerns within the technology industry about the consequences of developing increasingly advanced AI systems.
Elon Musk, Altman Back Call for Slower AI Development
Altman's warning comes shortly after he and Elon Musk, who have been involved in a legal dispute, backed a lengthy letter from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
The letter called on major technology companies around the world to slow down their work on the most advanced AI models.
The unusual support from major figures in the AI industry highlights growing concerns over whether the current pace of AI development can be maintained safely.
AI Researcher Warns of Potential Disaster
The debate intensified last week after Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon reportedly left his job and issued a stark warning about the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI.
Coxon said companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI were "gambling with our lives".
He also warned that AI could potentially pose an existential threat to humanity before the end of the decade.
His comments have added to a growing debate among researchers, technology executives and policymakers over how quickly AI development should proceed.
US and China Race to Lead AI Development
The concerns are unfolding against the backdrop of an increasingly intense competition between the United States and China to establish global leadership in artificial intelligence.
Both countries are investing heavily in advanced AI technology, with national security increasingly becoming a major part of the competition.
Technology leaders have warned that more powerful AI could potentially strengthen China's capabilities in areas such as surveillance, military operations and cybersecurity.
The competition has also increased calls for international rules governing the development and use of advanced artificial intelligence.
China Warns Against AI ‘Fear-Mongering’
China has pushed back against what it described as an overly confrontational approach to the global AI race.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that fear and competition could make it more difficult for countries to establish effective international rules for artificial intelligence.
“Fear-mongering, confrontation, competition will just disrupt [the] process of global AI governance,” Guo said, according to a Reuters translation.
The contrasting positions underline the growing challenge facing governments and technology companies: how to continue developing AI while preventing the technology from becoming a threat to human control, global stability and individual freedoms.
With companies racing to build increasingly powerful AI systems, Altman's latest warning adds to the growing calls for safeguards and international cooperation before the technology reaches even more advanced levels.