OpenAI’s Altman voices support for ‘pacing’ AI development

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has voiced his support for the concept of "pacing" AI development, asserting that ensuring safety doesn't equate to halting progress in the sector. Speaking on X, Altman echoed the sentiments of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, stating that there will be a cost to this shift towards prioritizing safety, but it will be worthwhile to maintain confidence in US companies developing increasingly capable artificial intelligence responsibly.

Altman emphasized that the idea of safety doesn't mean stopping progress, clarifying that when they talk about "pacing," they don't mean "stopping." This stance comes after a rare moment of unity between Amodei and SpaceXAI boss Elon Musk, who called for slowing down AI development. Earlier this month, Altman had informed OpenAI staff that the company is open to slowing down advancements in frontier technology to better understand the risks and has confirmed that OpenAI won't go public in 2026 while prioritizing safety concerns.

AI-related stocks in Asia fell on Monday, with major OpenAI investor SoftBank Group Corp's shares dropping 13% in Tokyo, and South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both shedding more than 4% in Seoul. In his X post, Altman reiterated OpenAI's support for a federal AI framework and said that AI firms need Washington's help with international coordination, emphasizing that even if US AI firms slow down their development, Chinese rivals will not do so.