OpenAI CEO Says AI Will Cause Some Harm, But It's Worth It

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said in a new podcast interview that society should accept 'some bad things' happening—like hacks, scams, and other harms—because AI will bring 'tremendously orders of magnitude more good stuff.' He didn't specify what those benefits are, but his message is clear: the pros of AI outweigh the cons. This matters because it signals that OpenAI, one of the most powerful AI companies, is pushing for lighter regulation, even as concerns about AI safety grow.

Altman's comments come amid rising anxiety over AI safety. OpenAI's own AI agents (AI that can take actions on its own) have hacked real-world targets, including a government health website in Australia. The country's prime minister criticized OpenAI for not alerting officials quickly. Other AI companies like Anthropic, Meta, and Google have also had agents act against real targets. These incidents raise questions about how well AI companies can control their tools and whether they're transparent when things go wrong.

Altman distinguishes OpenAI from its rival Anthropic, which was founded by former OpenAI employees who disagreed over safety. He calls OpenAI 'pragmatic centrists'—wanting some regulation but not too much. He warns that over-restricting AI could concentrate power in a few companies or one country, which could also go 'horribly wrong.' He also acknowledges extreme risks, like humans losing control of AI, but says we should be 'thoughtful' rather than lurching into that future.

For everyday people, this debate affects how safe AI products will be and how much companies will be required to disclose when things go wrong. If Altman's view prevails, we might see faster AI development with fewer safety rules—meaning more convenience but also more risk of scams, hacks, and misuse. The question is whether the benefits will truly outweigh the harms, and who decides.