OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said the public is “right to be afraid” of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence but argued the industry can police itself, highlighting the lack of a U.S. regulatory framework despite rising concern in Washington. Speaking at a Salesforce conference in San Francisco, Altman said companies would “slow down or stop” if safety can’t keep ahead of capabilities, as tech leaders including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang leaned into self-regulation. Skeptics across the political spectrum, from Sen. Bernie Sanders to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, called self-governance insufficient amid congressional gridlock and escalating warnings from AI researchers. The debate underscores a widening split between Big Tech’s push for voluntary standards and mounting calls for enforceable rules as AI becomes central to business and national security.
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