OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has warned that artificial intelligence could become concentrated in the hands of only a small number of companies, models, or individuals, giving ordinary users little influence over how the technology develops.
Speaking on David Senra’s podcast, Altman said people should remain firmly in control of AI’s future as society and the technology continue to evolve together.
He also raised another major concern: the possibility of increasingly powerful AI systems escaping meaningful human control. But Altman argued that fear of this scenario could create a different danger if governments or companies use AI safety concerns to justify giving up too much individual freedom.
According to Altman, excessive focus on catastrophic AI risks could encourage people to accept greater centralized control in exchange for security.
His comments come as other AI leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have repeatedly warned about potential risks from rapidly advancing models. Amodei has highlighted threats involving cybersecurity, financial systems, infrastructure, and national security while supporting a stronger role for governments in AI regulation.
The debate also extends to open-weight AI models, which developers can download, modify, and operate independently. China has embraced open models aggressively, while companies including Nvidia, Meta, and Microsoft have argued that the United States needs a competitive open AI ecosystem.
OpenAI has also moved in that direction, releasing its gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b open-weight models last year.
Altman said the AI industry has not done enough to demonstrate how the technology could increase individual independence rather than reduce it. He predicted AI could lower the barriers to entrepreneurship and trigger an unprecedented wave of people launching small businesses.