OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) justify accepting some risks. Speaking to POLITICO’s Decoded, Altman said OpenAI takes a different approach to AI regulation than rival Anthropic and believes the technology should remain broadly accessible. However, Altman also said there are limits to the risks he is willing to accept, including the possibility of AI causing a serious loss of human control.
Altman said there is still a major difference between OpenAI and Anthropic despite the two companies becoming closer on some AI safety policies. Explaining the difference, Altman said, “we believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency.”
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Anthropic has generally supported stricter rules for advanced AI systems. Meanwhile, OpenAI has traditionally preferred a lighter approach to regulation. However, the gap between the two companies has become smaller in recent months.
Altman earlier agreed with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent suggestion that the development of the most advanced AI models should be slowed down.
Despite the convergence, Altman sought to differentiate OpenAI’s regulatory approach from Anthropic’s, referring to criticism of regulatory capture that tech advisers close to President Donald Trump have directed at Anthropic.
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“I disagree, but I understand the perspective of people who are like, ‘This technology is going to get so powerful, and it’s so dangerous, that a single lab in San Francisco should have it and make sure nothing bad happens, and kind of figure out how to dole out the benefits,’” said Altman.
He described this as “a completely unacceptable trade-off” and said OpenAI supports a “lighter-touch regulatory stance.”
“I wouldn’t take a trade of saying, ‘We’ll make sure there’s no major hacks, there’s no misuse of this technology, there’s zero scams, there’s zero all the other bad things that will happen,’” OpenAI CEO said. “Because I think people will do tremendously- orders of magnitude more- good stuff than bad stuff.”
However, Altman said this does not mean he accepts every possible AI risk. He said he does not accept “the really catastrophic risks,” including the possibility of “a serious loss of control to AI.”