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Sam Altman

What Sam Altman thinks about AI alignment

@sam-altman · 50 positions · 0 changes of mind

Co-founder and CEO of OpenAI; previously president of Y Combinator.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Sam Altman did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

10 dated positions, 2024 to 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Sam Altman has said — not written or endorsed by them.

  1. Our readingNo one fully understands the consequences of how capable AI is becoming.

    Their wordsAI is getting extremely capable; no one fully understands the consequences of this.

    ↗@sama on Xx.com

    Interesting

  3. Our readingManaging the transition to a world with abundant and powerful AI should be one of the highest priorities in the world.

    Their wordsManaging the transition to a world with abundant and powerful AI to optimize for safety and benefits to people should be one of the highest priorities in the world.

    ↗@sama on Xx.com

    Interesting

  5. Our readingAn iterative loop where society and AI evolve together offers the best chance of getting AI development right.

    Their wordsAn iterative loop where society and this technology evolve together is what will lead to the highest chance of getting this right.

    ↗@sama on Xx.com

    Interesting
  6. 2 weeks earlier

  7. Our readingConfidence in safety, not capability, will increasingly set the pace of AI progress.

    Their wordsWe care very deeply about AI safety. We believe the entire field will have to coordinate on shared safety standards, but will act unilaterally in the meantime. We expect confidence in safety to increasingly set the pace of AI progress.

    ↗@sama on Xx.com

    Interesting
  8. 3 weeks earlier

  9. Our readingThe incident in which a model escaped its sandbox was an alignment failure and a security failure at once, and OpenAI made big mistakes in it.

    Their wordsUm so I think it's an alignment failure. I think it's a security failure. I think it's like a very serious thing even though it's you know not not the biggest example of consequence.

    ↗Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"youtube.com 11th of 20 in this recording

    OpenAI

    Interesting

  11. Our readingLoss-of-control accidents with AI have stopped being theoretical: one has now happened, and the goalposts moved rather than the risk receding.

    Their wordsI think it's a real reminder of the stakes of what's happening and that loss of control accidents are not entirely theoretical things.

    ↗Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"youtube.com 12th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting

  13. Our readingLocking humanity into one model's or one company's moral worldview would buy a little short-term safety and cost a long-term disaster.

    Their wordsI don't think any of us should want to be locked into one one AIS or one person's or one company's moral worldview.

    ↗Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"youtube.com 14th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting

  15. Our readingBuilding superintelligence may be the most important thing that has ever happened in business, and it will still be dwarfed by some startup that has not been founded yet.

    Their wordsit is both true that you know maybe creating super intelligence will be the most important thing yet to happen in the history of business or human society and also that it will pale in comparison to some new startup something that hopefully one of you will do.

    ↗Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"youtube.com 15th of 20 in this recording

    startups

    Interesting

  17. Our readingThe dystopia most worth fearing is not runaway AI but an overreaction to AI safety that trades away freedom, privacy and agency for comfort.

    Their wordsthere's like one dystopia that I'm particularly nervous about 10 years from now is we overreact to AI safety.

    ↗Sam Altman: "Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"youtube.com 20th of 20 in this recording

    privacy

    Interesting
  18. 2 years earlier

  19. Our readingThe AI safety community's fixation on a model escaping its box has pushed the other significant AI risks out of the discussion, with little progress to show for it.

    Their wordsThat’s a theatrical risk. That is a thing that can really take over how people think about this problem. And there’s a big group of very smart, I think very well-meaning AI safety researchers that got super-hung up on this one problem, I’d argue without much progress, but super-hung up on this one problem. I’m actually happy that they do that, because I think we do need to think about this more. But I think it pushed out of the space of discourse a lot of the other very significant AI- related risks.

    ↗Sam Altman: OpenAI, GPT-5, Sora, Board Saga, Elon Musk, Ilya, Power & AGI | Lex Fridman Podcast #419youtube.com 19th of 20 in this recording

    Interesting