OpenAI chief Sam Altman has urged world leaders at the G7 summit not to surrender their control on artificial intelligence to the companies handling it while pushing for the governments to set global standards to deploy the technology.
Speaking during a session, Altman told leaders and tech executives, “Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine”.
According to AFP, the appeal from the head of one of the world’s most valuable AI firms effectively asked democratic governments to keep the most consequential choices about the technology out of corporate hands — including his own.
“We develop the technology, and the citizens of the free world make the rules,” the company quoted Altman saying. “Technologists have special knowledge about AI,
but they don’t have any special wisdom about humanity.”
On the question of whether AI is useful, he said the issue “has been settled”. AFP quoted the OpenAI chief saying that he expects systems of “astonishing power” capable of reshaping human life on a scale unmatched “since the harnessing of electricity”.
The remarks come amid tussle between the United States and Euorope on how tightly AI should be controlled.
According to AFP, the European Union – including G7 members France, Germany and Italy – has passed strict rules that sort AI systems by how risky they are and place tough requirements on ones that could cause the most harm.
While Donald Trump-led US administration has rolled back rules, he has temporarily banned foreigners from accessing AI models of Anthropic, citing national security concerns.
According to AFP, Altman stressed that OpenAI, as “an American company”, would be governed by US law but said it recognised “the sovereignty of the democratic nations in this room”.
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