Why Sam Altman Thinks Some AI Risks Are Worth the Benefits

It’s understandable why people would call for stricter regulation of AI. Cyberattacks involving AI are increasing, concerns about AI being used to build biological weapons keep surfacing, and capable models are doing things their creators did not necessarily intend, but hearing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggest that the world should accept some bad things happening because of AI is an unexpected position. 

Altman's argument comes as the ChatGPT maker signs a voluntary agreement outlining how AI companies in the US will manage safety risks in their most advanced AI systems. To see why this stands out, it helps to look at where the industry's conversation was just weeks ago. 

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, for instance, published an essay in September calling on the industry to “pace the frontier,” arguing that AI development needs to move carefully as models become more capable. OpenAI has also acknowledged the need for AI policy to keep pace with the rapid development of increasingly capable systems, describing the current period as a new chapter in AI capabilities. However, Amodei’s latest comments suggest he is drawing a clearer line over how far that caution should go. 

In a Politico interview on October 4, Altman said OpenAI has “always been a big believer that this technology has to be democratized and put in people's hands.” He said that belief is one of the things that separates OpenAI from people who favour much stricter controls on AI. “We believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency,” he said. 

Altman acknowledged that he understands why some people take a more restrictive approach. “I disagree, but I understand the perspective of people who are like, ‘This technology is going to get so powerful, and it’s so dangerous, that a single lab in San Francisco should have it and make sure nothing bad happens, and kind of figure out how to dole out the benefits,’” he said.