OpenAI's CEO fears AI control could concentrate in too few hands.
He argues society, not companies, should steer AI's direction.
He also admitted AI's economic impact will arrive slower than expected.
What happened
OpenAI Group PBC CEO Sam Altman said in an interview with podcaster David Senra that he is worried AI technology will end up controlled by just a handful of companies or people, leaving society with little say. He argued "the right approach is for people to deeply control the future" and that "society and the model will evolve together."
Why it matters
Altman's remarks appear aimed at rival Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has been a vocal advocate for government regulation due to AI safety risks. Altman disagrees with that approach, saying it would mean "giving up liberty for safety reasons." Notably, Anthropic last month refused to endorse open-weight models, while OpenAI released gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b last year.
What to watch
Altman also conceded his earlier AI timeline was wrong — he expected more disruption soon after GPT-4 in 2023, but now sees businesses moving slower due to inertia. He predicts "the greatest boom in people starting smaller businesses" from AI, though it will arrive more slowly than he first believed.
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Altman's interview touches two themes: who controls AI, and how fast it changes the economy. On control, he frames the risk as concentrated power in a few hands, contrasting with Anthropic's emphasis on safety-driven regulation. The article suggests his comments target Dario Amodei, who has warned about risks like cybersecurity threats from AI models. Altman's position is that society should shape AI's direction through collective choices, not corporate or governmental control.
On timing, Altman revised his earlier expectation of rapid disruption after GPT-4 in 2023. He now sees businesses adapting more slowly because they must update software, data access, compliance, budgets, and customer expectations. He calls the lag a stabilizing force that makes the transition "smoother and slower." This admission may signal a more measured outlook on AI's near-term economic impact.
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