OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says world must accept some AI harms
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that society should accept 'some bad things happening' from artificial intelligence to preserve broad public access and agency, while rejecting catastrophic outcomes like loss of control.
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman told Politico that the world should accept 'some bad things happening' in exchange for the benefits of artificial intelligence and human agency. Speaking in an interview on Politico's 'Decoded,' Altman framed negative consequences as a necessary tradeoff for keeping the technology widely accessible to the public, a position subsequently reported across multiple media outlets.[3][4][8][5][6][1]
Altman rejected sacrificing AI's upside for total safety, explicitly dismissing expectations that there will be no misuse, no major hacks, and zero scams. He argued that people will ultimately do orders of magnitude more good than harm with the tools and insisted that no single lab should control the technology. Altman added that he draws the line at catastrophic risks, such as a severe loss of control over AI systems.[3][5][9]
The executive's philosophy has drawn attention and criticism across the industry. Quartz reported that Altman's tolerance of some AI harms places him at odds with rival Anthropic's more cautious stance. AI researcher Gary Marcus pushed back against the comments, characterizing them as OpenAI admitting current AI is uncontrollable and asking the public to 'suck it up,' while The New Republic criticized Altman's outsized sway over the AI policy debate.[7][4][2]
Key facts
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Politico that the world should accept 'some bad things happening' to reap the benefits of AI and preserve human agency.
- Altman argued that AI should remain broadly accessible rather than controlled by a single lab, predicting people will do far more good than harm with the technology.
- Altman rejected compromising AI benefits for absolute safety, saying society should tolerate harms rather than expect zero scams, misuse, or major hacks.
- Altman maintained an explicit exception for catastrophic outcomes, drawing the line at severe loss of control over AI systems.
- Quartz noted that Altman's willingness to accept negative AI consequences puts OpenAI at odds with Anthropic's more cautious safety approach.
- Gary Marcus criticized Altman's remarks as OpenAI admitting current AI is uncontrollable and asking the public to 'suck it up.'
Sources · 9 sources
- RE
Reuters@ReutersPost on X ·
OpenAI's Altman says AI benefits warrant accepting some risks https://t.co/TDxC7CmVjB https://t.co/TDxC7CmVjB
Open source - TN
The New Republic@newrepublicPost on X ·
It’s not great that the OpenAI CEO thinks we should “accept some bad things” about AI. It’s even worse that he gets to dominate the conversation. https://t.co/kfubjR3NUw
Open source - LD
Lark Davis@LarkDavisPost on X ·
"We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency," - Sam Altman in Politico’s Decoded He argues AI should stay widely accessible, and that tolerating risks like scams is worth it because people will do "orders of magnitude" more good than harm. He still draws a line at catastrophic loss of control. Techno-panic has accompanied nearly every leap forward: 1. Trains (1830s): Critics warned that 20–30 mph would knock passengers unconscious, kill them outright, or drive people and livestock mad. 2. Radio (1930s): Parents panicked that broadcasts were addicting kids, wrecking their sleep with nightmares, and destroying their attention. 3. Mobile phones (1993): Lawsuits and headlines stoked fear that holding a "radiation brick" to your head caused brain tumors. Today, they are everyday life. AI is the next engine of human progress. We just have to cross our fingers Skynet stays in the movies.
Open source - GM
Gary Marcus@GaryMarcusPost on X ·
A month ago: OpenAI says GPT-6 could be AGI (spoiler alert it wasn’t) Today: OpenAI admits current AI’s uncontrollability is bad, asks you to suck it up. https://t.co/z5ZquhPcDo
Open source - *B
*Walter Bloomberg@DeItaonePost on X ·
ALTMAN: WORLD SHOULD ACCEPT SOME AI RISKS OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says “the world should accept some bad things happening” to keep AI broadly accessible, arguing that people will ultimately use the technology for far more good than harm. Altman drew the line at catastrophic risks such as severe loss of control, while arguing that no single AI lab should control the technology.
Open source - TH
The Hindu@the_hinduPost on X ·
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said the benefits of artificial intelligence justify accepting some risks and argued the technology should remain broadly accessible to the public. https://t.co/KnVAFlywnM
Open source - QU
Quartz@qzPost on X ·
Sam Altman thinks some AI harm is an acceptable trade-off OpenAI's CEO is making the case that the world needs to tolerate some negative consequences from AI to reap its benefits — a philosophy that puts him at odds with Anthropic's more cautiou #SamAltman #AIRegulation #OpenAI https://t.co/ujsrFGc39a
Open source - CO
Cointelegraph@CointelegraphPost on X ·
🚨 JUST IN: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says society should be willing to "accept some bad things happening" in exchange for AI's benefits, per Politico. https://t.co/JToG4wD6Lg
Open source - MN
Mario Nawfal@MarioNawfalPost on X ·
🇺🇸 OpenAI's Sam Altman is NOT willing to trade off AI's benefits for more safety... He explicitly rejects making sure there are “no major hacks,” “no misuse,” and “zero scams,” insisting society should simply accept “all the other bad things that will happen.” Pretty easy to tell everyone else to stomach fraud and cyberattacks when your own fortune shields you from ever suffering the fallout… Writer: Bri https://t.co/XrrQNaXUk4
Open source