OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman said in remarks published on Saturday, citing safety concerns over artificial intelligence that render “unacceptable” even a 10% risk that AI could cause human extinction by decade’s end.
The comments come as more US lawmakers urge new rules to govern AI systems after dire warnings from two researchers from OpenAI rival Anthropic that rapidly progressing AI could lead to the extinction of the human race in the not-too-distant future.
“I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public and we don’t feel pressure on that,” Altman told business magazine Fortune.
Asked if there was a 10% chance of AI-driven extinction, Altman said he did not know how such an estimate could be made but warned the risk was serious enough that AI companies and governments should act as though it could not be tolerated.
“Whether it’s 10 or eight or six, the point is, we all have a tremendous amount of responsibility, and cannot let egos or incentives for profit or anything else get in the way,” Altman added.
“We need to act such that we are not taking any of those numbers of risk, and I believe we can.”
Asked if an IPO date of 2026 was off the table in favor of 2027, Altman said: “I would say not 2026.”
“We got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment and how the industry and governments can work together.”
Altman also suggested that OpenAI and other leading AI firms may be close to unveiling a pact to slow AI development and work together to tackle safety risks, Fortune said.
Call for more deliberate approach
On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged AI companies to take a more deliberate approach to development.
“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models,” Amodei wrote in an essay on X.
Altman later posted that he agreed with the sentiment.
“I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier,” Altman wrote. “This has been a primary topic of discussions we’ve had at OpenAI in recent weeks.”
Safety concerns have not slowed Anthropic’s own IPO plans. It is expected to begin marketing its initial public offering in mid-October at the earliest and complete the listing days before the US midterm elections in November, people familiar with the matter told Reuters this month.
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company will not go public in 2026 due to safety concerns regarding AI risks.
- Altman cited a potentially unacceptable risk of AI causing human extinction by the end of the decade, emphasizing the need for caution and responsibility.
- He stated OpenAI is focusing on safety, alignment, and cooperation between industry and government rather than pursuing an IPO in 2026.
- Altman suggested that leading AI firms, including OpenAI, may soon agree on a pact to slow AI development to manage safety risks.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slowing AI advancement, and despite safety worries, Anthropic plans to launch its IPO in mid-October 2024.
OpenAI will not go public in 2026, CEO Sam Altman said in remarks published on Saturday, citing safety concerns over artificial intelligence that render "unacceptable" even a 10% risk that AI could cause human extinction by decade's end.
"I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public and we don't feel pressure on that," Altman told business magazine Fortune.
Asked if there was a 10% chance of AI-driven extinction, Altman said he did not know how such an estimate could be made but warned the risk was serious enough that AI companies and governments should act as though it could not be tolerated.
"
"We need to act such that we are not taking any of those numbers of risk, and I believe we can."
Asked if an IPO date of 2026 was off the table in favor of 2027, Altman said: "I would say not 2026."
"We got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment and how the industry and governments can work together."
Altman also suggested that OpenAI and other leading AI firms may be close to unveiling a pact to slow AI development and work together to tackle safety risks, Fortune said.
On Saturday,
"We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models," Amodei wrote in an essay on X.
Altman later posted that he agreed with the sentiment.
"I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier," Altman wrote. "
Safety concerns have not slowed
