Altman: The AI industry is capable of handling security risks; the way the media is reporting on it is disappointing.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed his confidence that the AI industry can safely advance its technology without causing significant harm, while also expressing dissatisfaction with the framework for discussions surrounding AI security issues.

Speaking with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the Salesforce Dreamforce conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, Altman said, "I have great confidence in our company's and the industry's ability to safely advance this technology." He also noted, "I'm disappointed with how this issue has been reported." This statement directly addresses the recent heated debate in the industry surrounding AI regulation and the pace of development.

The above remarks come against the backdrop of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's article published last Saturday, warning of potential risks associated with AI technology and suggesting a slowdown in development, which sparked the latest round of discussion in the industry. Although OpenAI is collaborating with Anthropic and Google's AI lab, Google DeepMind, to address security concerns, Altman maintains that AI companies are capable of autonomously and safely improving their models without external intervention.

Acknowledging the risks, but remaining optimistic about industry self-regulation.

In his speech, Altman did not shy away from the potential dangers of AI. He stated that "the world is right to be afraid of it," and acknowledged that "a certain degree of accidents is inevitable" in the development of new technologies.

He cited the aviation industry as an example, pointing out that air travel has become so safe thanks to an incident reporting culture, accumulated experience, and federal agency oversight. He called for a similar transparent reporting mechanism in the AI industry, stating, "We should cultivate a strong culture of transparent incident reporting."

Altman also stated that if development reaches a stage where it cannot be safely advanced, companies should be prepared to "slow down or even stop." This statement echoes Amodei's recent call to slow down the pace of AI development.

Learning from social media, emphasizing shared responsibility

Altman cites social media as a cautionary tale, pointing out that while social platforms bring real social benefits, their impact—especially on young people—is not "only positive."

Using short videos as a specific example, he stated, "I don't think short videos are inherently evil, but I do think they are dangerous," and emphasized that responsibility should be shared by parents, businesses, and the government. He also revealed that while he enjoys using short videos to relax, he wouldn't allow his children to watch them.

This analogy is intended to illustrate that the neutral nature of technology itself does not absolve all parties of their regulatory and guiding responsibilities, and the AI industry faces similar governance challenges.

AI development has entered its third wave, but its commercial potential has not yet been fully realized.

In describing the future of AI, Altman likened the technology to "fire from the gods" and positioned the current stage as the third wave after chatbots and programmable agents—AI will be able to proactively replace humans in completing work tasks.

"We've only just scratched the surface in exploring how to create truly empowering and resilient products," he said.

However, Altman also points out that human work patterns have considerable inertia, and the widespread adoption of the technology will still take several years. This assessment implies that despite the rapid leap in AI capabilities, its substantial impact on the labor market and business operations will likely be a gradual process, rather than a disruptive transformation in the short term.

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