OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that the rapid development of artificial intelligence could go “very badly” for humanity in two major ways.
Altman said the first danger is a situation where humans lose control of the future of AI. He stressed that AI systems must remain aligned with human interests, with safety measures developing ahead of the capabilities of increasingly powerful models.
The second risk, according to the OpenAI boss, is the excessive concentration of AI power in the hands of one person or company.
He warned that an extremely powerful AI system controlled by a single individual or organisation could be used to impose that entity’s worldview on the rest of society, potentially creating a “dystopian” outcome.
Altman’s warning comes amid growing calls from leading technology figures for a slower and more cautious approach to AI development. He has backed calls for independent evaluators to monitor advanced AI systems and said “pacing” development does not mean stopping progress.
He stressed that the goal should be to find a middle ground where AI continues to advance while safeguards remain strong enough to prevent the technology from becoming uncontrollable or excessively concentrated in the hands of a few.
The warning comes as governments, technology companies and researchers intensify debate over how to manage the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.
