OpenAI's Sam Altman says world 'right to be afraid' but 'should trust' AI firms
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that while public fear regarding AI is justified, the world should trust tech firms to act responsibly. The comments come amid a lack of consensus in the US Congress regarding how to regulate rapidly evolving AI technology.
Why it matters
The tension between rapid AI innovation and the slow pace of government regulation remains a critical issue for global technology policy and public safety.
Figure caption, Why is Donald Trump so opposed to regulating AI?
The boss of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says people should have more faith in AI firms to keep the tech safe, amid rising public concerns about the risks.
"The world should trust that we are going to do the right thing because it's the right thing and we feel the magnitude of this," Sam Altman said on Tuesday during a conference in San Francisco.
He accepted people were justified in being concerned about AI, as the capability of the tools has progressed rapidly.
But critics say firms cannot be trusted to self-regulate, with left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon, a former adviser of US President Donald Trump, among those calling for greater governance of AI.
Trump himself has criticised calls for more guardrails on the fast-moving technology, calling fears about AI's safety a "hoax".
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