Sam Altman says people need to accept ‘some bad things’ are going to happen if they want AI

What happened

However, he warned that if the restrictions are too excessive, they could prevent people from being able to access the most beneficial AI tools. OpenAI Group PBC (a company legally required to pursue a stated public benefit) Chief Executive Sam Altman insists that the security risks of artificial intelligence need to be taken seriously. OpenAI is an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco.

But unlike his counterpart Dario Amodei of Anthropic PBC, he believes that people need to accept that “some bad things” are going to happen if everyone is going to enjoy the benefits of AI. UPDATED 22:45 EDT / OCTOBER 04 2026 POLICY Sam Altman says people need to accept ‘some bad things’ are going to happen if they want AI by Mike Wheatley OpenAI Group PBC Chief Executive Sam Altman insists that the security risks of artificial intelligence need to be taken seriously.

Altman said that is a “completely unacceptable trade-off” that contrasts with OpenAI’s call for “lighter-touch” regulation of AI. He’s not arguing for a free-for-all, Altman stressed. Rather, he provides support for tough regulation in some areas of AI and said he agrees with Amodei’s call last month for the industry to cooperate on slowing down the development of more advanced frontier models.

Key facts

• Rather, he — support: tough regulation in some areas of AI and said he agrees with Amodei’s call last month for the industry to cooperate on slowing down the development of more advanced frontier models