OpenAI CEO says world should ‘accept some bad things’ for the benefit of AI technology

Published October 5, 2026 9:33am ET



OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said society should be willing to accept some negative consequences from artificial intelligence in exchange for the technology’s broader benefits.

“I think the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency,” Altman told Politico. He contrasted OpenAI’s approach with what he described as the more cautious position of AI safety advocates and rival companies such as Anthropic.

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