OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is arguing that the world should accept some negative consequences of artificial intelligence in exchange for the technology’s benefits-even as he acknowledges that AI has brought, and will continue to bring, “bad things,” including the potential end of humanity.
In an interview with Decoded by Politico, Altman was asked about the difference between OpenAI and rival Anthropic’s approaches to AI safety, an issue that has drawn increasing attention.
“I think there’s a lot of daylight,” Altman said. “One of the differences between us and some of the stricter AI safety people is that we believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency.”
“I do think the lighter touch regulatory stance we advocate for comes with an accepting of the fact that some bad things are going to happen as society figures out the resilience,” he continued.
Altman said he would not accept a situation where OpenAI guarantees there are no major hacks, scams, or cases of misuse, because he expects the good people do with the technology to outweigh the bad by a wide margin.
AI has already brought a number of negative effects. These include job losses, pollution and noise from data centers, copyright infringement, plagiarism, a memory shortage, low-quality online content, weaker critical thinking, and high power and water consumption.
The situation has become increasingly worrying since OpenAI agents went rogue and hacked Hugging Face. Hundreds more incidents have followed. As a result, AI experts have warned of an existential threat, and industry leaders have moved to slow or pause development.
The concrete benefits of AI are less easy to list. Most are limited to scientific fields, and many are small or experimental. For instance, AI can forecast the weather more accurately. The larger benefits Altman describes, including a long-promised cure for cancer, may arrive later, possibly before the technology causes catastrophic harm.
In the interview, Altman also said he does not accept “the really catastrophic risks,” including the potential for “a serious loss of control to AI.”
Many people were displeased that Altman again suggested the public is being ungrateful for the gift of AI when its benefits far outweigh the negatives. Gary Marcus, a professor emeritus at New York University, said Altman was “saying the quiet part out loud: suck it up, so you can make us rich and powerful.”
Altman also discussed Elon Musk, with whom he has a turbulent history. “I don’t like bullies, and I think Elon’s a bully,” Altman said. “I think once in a while you got to punch a bully back in the nose.”
“And I also think Elon, like many bullies, only respects people who do,” he continued. “So, if you want me to be able to work with him, maybe you should be happy I hit back once in a while, but I will work with Elon, of course.”
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