Altman: AI Benefits Justify Accepting Some Risks

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, said that the benefits of artificial intelligence justify accepting some of the associated risks, arguing that the technology should remain widely available to the public.

In an interview with Politico’s Decode newsletter, Altman stated, “We believe the world should accept some negative outcomes in exchange for the benefits this technology provides, while giving people the ability to use it.”

He added that there is a fundamental difference in vision between OpenAI and its competitor Anthropic regarding AI regulation, saying, “I think the gap between us is large.”

He continued, “I don’t agree with that view, but I understand the perspective of those who argue that this technology will become so powerful and dangerous that it should be monopolized by a single laboratory in San Francisco, which would ensure no harm occurs and decide how its benefits are distributed.”

Altman described this approach as “an unacceptable trade-off,” emphasizing that it contradicts OpenAI’s support for a deregulatory approach.

He said, “I would not accept a trade-off based on the argument: We will ensure that there are no major breaches, no misuse of this technology, no fraud, or other negative consequences.”

He added, “I believe people will use this technology for positive purposes that far outweigh the potential harms.”

Altman’s comments come amid growing debate within the AI sector over the pace of technological development and the risks posed by increasingly capable systems.

In September, Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, published an article calling on the industry to slow the pace of development, a position Altman publicly endorsed. Also in September, Anthropic researcher Jack Clark resigned, stating that AI developers believe the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade.”