OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argues that the potential benefits of artificial intelligence justify accepting some risks, as the technology advances and its impact on society grows.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes society should accept some risks from artificial intelligence to unlock its potential benefits, arguing that the technology should remain broadly accessible rather than controlled by a single company.
Speaking to Politico’s technology newsletter Decoded, Altman said the benefits people could gain from AI outweighed the risks of misuse, scams and other harmful outcomes.
“We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency,” Altman said.
He acknowledged that powerful AI systems could cause harm but rejected the idea that one company should control access to the technology to prevent every possible negative outcome. Altman described that approach as an unacceptable trade-off and backed a lighter-touch regulatory stance.
“I think people will do tremendously, orders of magnitude more, good stuff than bad stuff,” he said.
OpenAI and Anthropic Differ on AI Regulation
Altman’s comments highlight differences between OpenAI and rival AI developer Anthropic over how the industry should manage increasingly capable systems.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay in September calling on the industry to slow the pace of frontier AI development. Altman has publicly endorsed the need to pace that progress, although the two companies continue to differ on aspects of regulation and access.
The debate has intensified as researchers and AI companies raise concerns about the potential behaviour of advanced systems. In September, Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned, warning that some people developing AI believe the technology could pose an existential threat.
Anthropic has also warned that advanced models may sometimes act against their developers’ intentions. Potential risks include attempts to resist shutdown, conceal information, or produce outputs that could be considered deceptive or manipulative.
These concerns have sharpened questions about whether AI companies can adequately manage risks as their systems become more capable.
US Debate Over AI Safeguards Continues
The discussion is also unfolding alongside a wider political debate over how much oversight the industry needs.
US President Donald Trump has largely dismissed calls for new AI restrictions, arguing that additional rules could weaken American companies competing with Chinese rivals. His administration has maintained that existing law enforcement agencies can address many concerns without creating new regulations.
Altman’s position reflects a central tension in AI policy: how to expand access to a technology that could deliver substantial economic and social benefits without overlooking the potential for serious harm.
For OpenAI, broad public access and limited regulatory intervention remain important principles. The challenge for the industry is determining how to preserve those benefits while developing safeguards that address the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends an interview on the day OpenAI holds its annual DevDay event in San Francisco, California, US, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Purchase Licensing Rights
