Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI, said at a San Francisco conference that public fears surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) are legitimate, but argued that society should trust the industry — and companies like OpenAI — to act correctly.
Altman noted that AI is developing very rapidly, and that it does not take much imagination to picture what could happen if development goes in the wrong direction. Despite acknowledging those fears, he said: “The world must trust that we will act correctly because that is the right thing to do and because we feel the weight of it.” According to the BBC, Altman expressed confidence that OpenAI and the broader AI industry can implement appropriate safety measures and that companies can self-regulate responsibly.
He added that safety will be prioritised over rapidly expanding capabilities, and that firms are prepared to slow or even stop development if necessary.
Regulation versus self-regulation
At the same conference, the chief executive of Nvidia said he does not believe regulation should be used to slow AI development. These divergent positions illustrate the ongoing debate about the extent to which external rules should constrain the industry.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta, responded to Altman by saying that every AI laboratory is responsible for its own models, and that that responsibility is itself a strong incentive to act safely, particularly if models can cause harm.
Increasing concerns and calls to slow development
In recent weeks, reports of runaway AI agents and alarming attacks have multiplied, prompting increased calls for stricter AI regulation. Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, urged companies in the AI field a few days earlier to slow the pace at which model capabilities are advanced.
Following Amodei’s appeal, figures including Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, and Sam Altman publicly signalled agreement with the call to slow AI development. These statements suggest that parts of the industry acknowledge the risks and are prepared to take action to address safety concerns.
Why this matters
The public debate among technology leaders highlights that while AI promises rapid progress, its potential risks are driving a serious societal and regulatory conversation. Altman’s message — that the world should trust responsible actors because they understand the gravity of the situation and are willing to slow or stop — reflects an attempt to balance technological ambition with caution.
The BBC’s reporting underpins this account, and the debate is likely to continue as the public and policymakers increasingly engage with how AI should be governed.
