OpenAI's Altman won't do IPO this year, calls AI extinction risk 'unacceptable'
LOS ANGELES: OpenAI will not go public in 2026, Chief Executive Sam Altman said in remarks published on Saturday, citing safety concerns over artificial intelligence that render “unacceptable” even a 10% risk that AI could cause human extinction by decade’s end. The comments come as more US lawmakers urge new rules to govern AI systems after dire warnings from two researchers from OpenAI rival…
OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has revealed that the company will not go public in 2026, citing safety concerns over AI that render even a 10% risk of human extinction unacceptable. This announcement comes as US lawmakers push for new regulations to govern AI systems following dire warnings from researchers at rival AI company Anthropic.
Altman told Fortune magazine that the moment to go public is currently ill-advised due to safety concerns. He emphasized that the risk of AI-driven extinction is serious enough that AI companies and governments must act as if it could not be tolerated. Altman stated that all involved parties have a tremendous amount of responsibility and cannot let incentives for profit or egos get in the way.
The risk of AI agents going rogue and causing havoc has led to calls for more deliberate and cautious development of AI systems. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently urged AI companies to slow down the pace of AI model improvements to address safety risks. Altman agreed with this sentiment, highlighting that it has been a primary topic of discussions at OpenAI in recent weeks.
Despite the safety concerns, Anthropic is still on track to begin marketing its IPO in mid-October, before the US midterm elections.
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