OpenAI chief urges public confidence as AI safety debate intensifies

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, recognized that public concern over a potential AI takeover is justified, yet he asked people to trust that the sector will prioritize safety and align AI with human values. His comments arrive after a week of stark warnings from AI experts, including the resignation of Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who accused firms of gambling with lives. Subsequent alerts from former employees prompted U.S. legislators, from Ted Cruz to Bernie Sanders, to demand stronger oversight.

Over the weekend, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and SpaceXAI chief Elon Musk called for a deliberate slowdown of AI development, a concept Altman also endorsed as “pacing the frontier.” Meanwhile, China labeled slowdown calls as fearmongering, and the Trump administration has argued for a hands-off regulatory approach, with the Attorney General suggesting the debate may be politically motivated.