OpenAI’s Altman says AI benefits warrant accepting some risks

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman argues that the advantages of artificial intelligence technology warrant accepting some associated risks and maintaining broad public access. In an interview with Politico's Decoded newsletter, Altman stated: "We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency."

Altman noted a fundamental difference between OpenAI and rival Anthropic regarding AI regulation, describing the latter's stance as "a completely unacceptable trade-off" that contradicts OpenAI's lighter-touch regulatory approach. He emphasized that while there may be significant downsides, the potential for immense positive impact outweighs the risks.

In September, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had similarly called for a slower pace of development, a viewpoint supported by Altman. However, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned in protest, warning of the potential for AI to cause catastrophic harm by the decade's end. Anthropic has also expressed concerns about AI acting in unintended ways, such as resisting shutdown, concealing information, or generating manipulative content.

Despite these concerns, US President Donald Trump has largely opposed new regulations, asserting that existing law enforcement measures are sufficient to protect against AI-related threats.