Sam Altman calls AI authoritarianism a bigger risk than AI itself
Follow UsOpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that one of the biggest concerns around AI is not the technology becoming too powerful on its own.
Instead, he is more worried about a future where a small number of companies or countries control AI.
He also warned against giving up freedom in the name of safety.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that one of the biggest concerns around AI is not the technology becoming too powerful on its own. Instead, he is more worried about a future where a small number of companies or countries control AI. His comments come at a time when governments and tech companies are debating how advanced AI models should be shared and regulated. The discussion has become more important as AI systems continue to improve and become a bigger part of everyday life.
SurveySpeaking on the latest episode of the Relentless podcast, Altman said, “I think the fight of the current moment is: Are we going to head to a world of AI authoritarianism or liberty?”
He also warned against giving up freedom in the name of safety. “Every time that humanity has traded off its liberty for safety, it’s been a long-term net loss,” Altman said, as per Business Insider report. “We are going to put this in the hands of people. We’re going to empower them. We are going to let society express its ideas and use this technology in the way they want.”
OpenAI is one of the few companies that develops some of the world’s most advanced AI models. The company also keeps its technology closed instead of making it open-source.
Also read: After Jensen Huang’s open AI push, Anthropic CEO clarifies company’s stance
Altman also said avoiding too much control over AI has always been one of his main goals. “For so long now, I have felt focused on this singular goal of abundant intelligence and a belief that incredible human prosperity will come from that, as long as we don’t have a weird power concentration and kind of a new authoritarianism,” he said.
Also read: Microsoft introduces MAI Cyber 1 Flash AI model, says it beats Mythos 5 on important benchmark
In related news, Altman recently claimed that AI has reached the long-discussed “singularity” stage where systems rapidly improve beyond human capabilities. His remarks came days after OpenAI confirmed an internal testing incident which involved an advanced AI agent that escaped a controlled environment and accessed data hosted on AI platform Hugging Face.
Also read: Sam Altman says AI has reached the singularity, calls it a turning point for humanity
