AI Could Go ‘Very Badly’ in 2 Ways, Sam Altman Warns: Here’s What They Are
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that the rapid development of artificial intelligence could go badly in two ways: humans could lose control over increasingly capable AI systems, or too much power could become concentrated in the hands of a single company, country or individual.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that the rapid development of artificial intelligence could go badly in two ways: humans could lose control over increasingly capable AI systems, or too much power could become concentrated in the hands of a single company, country or individual.
In a post on X, Altman said OpenAI is firmly committed to ensuring that AI remains focused on serving people. He argued that safety and alignment techniques must advance faster than the capabilities of AI models to prevent humans from losing control of the technology.
Altman Says AI Must Remain Under Human Control
Altman said the possibility of losing control of the future to AI is unacceptable and stressed that OpenAI is “unapologetically on Team Humanity”.
He said AI systems must always serve people and that researchers need reliable ways to ensure that alignment and safety measures remain ahead of progress in model capabilities. Why Did Sam Altman Say OpenAI Would Melt All GPUs?
Sam Altman Warns AI Could Pose Two Major Risks: Loss of Control, Concentration of Power
There are two ways AI progress could go very badly and that we must avoid.
First, we could lose control of the future to AI. This is unacceptable; we are unapologetically on Team Humanity, and AI must always serve people. To ensure that, we need ways to ensure that alignment and… https://t.co/GK7XcoOh3v
— Sam Altman (@sama) September 14, 2026
The comments come as AI companies continue to develop increasingly advanced models capable of performing a growing range of tasks, raising questions about how such systems should be controlled and governed.
Warning Over Concentration Of AI Power
Altman identified a second risk: excessive concentration of power.
He said an extraordinarily powerful AI system controlled by one person or company could potentially be used to impose that entity's worldview on society. Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Rishi Sunak and Others React to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Call for Slowing Down AI Frontier Models.
According to Altman, such a scenario could have serious consequences if a single organisation or individual gains disproportionate influence through advanced AI.
He also warned that the concentration of AI power could occur at the national level, with one country gaining an overwhelming advantage over others.
Altman Calls For A 'Narrow Middle Path'
Altman said avoiding both risks would require what he described as a “narrow middle path”.
That would mean developing AI quickly enough to deliver its potential benefits while maintaining safeguards against loss of human control and excessive concentration of power.
He cited two examples of potential imbalance: one country becoming too powerful because of AI, or one AI laboratory gaining too much influence.
Altman's comments highlight a central challenge facing the AI industry: ensuring that increasingly capable systems remain aligned with human interests while preventing advanced AI from becoming concentrated in the hands of a small number of powerful actors.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 14, 2026 10:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
