OpenAI's Sam Altman to brief UN Security Council next week

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman will address the United Nations Security Council next week at the organization's annual assembly, according to the company's announcement on Friday. The meeting is being organized by France, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member Security Council, as major players in the industry express concerns about the need for a potential slowdown in AI development due to safety issues.

During a recent address, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the necessity for coordinated international action to tackle AI risks, as fears surrounding the rapidly advancing technology continue to grow. He stressed that while national action is crucial, global coordination is also indispensable in addressing these challenges.

In recent weeks, the matter of AI safety has received increased attention, with employees at prominent AI companies resigning due to concerns about the potential dangers posed by the technology. Anthropic's chief executive, Dario Amodei, published an essay urging caution, stating that "we must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models."

Altman, along with tech mogul Elon Musk, expressed support for this idea, as did Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis, who has called for a US-led global regulatory body for AI. President Donald Trump, however, has dismissed these warnings as a "hoax" and resisted calls for more stringent oversight.