Sam Altman tells Oprah he talks about AI with someone in government every few days
Kent Nishimura
- Sam Altman said he talks to someone in the government every few days.
- The OpenAI CEO sat down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss the future of artificial intelligence.
- Altman cited the need for a good working relationship between AI companies and the US government.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he regularly communicates and works with the US government.
The billionaire discussed his working relationship with Washington, DC, in a primetime interview with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday.
"I personally probably have a conversation with someone in the government every few days," Altman told Winfrey.
Winfrey's special, "AI and the Future of US," aired on ABC this week and seeks to demystify the ever-evolving technology. In addition to Altman, Winfrey spoke to Microsoft founder Bill Gates and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Altman stressed the importance of partnerships between the companies creating AI and the government, citing an immediate need for safety precautions.
"One of the first things we need to do — and this is now happening — is to get the government to start figuring out how to do safety testing of these systems, like we do for aircraft or new medicines," Altman said.
"If we can get good at that now, we'll have an easier time figuring out exactly what the regulatory framework is later," he added.
In OpenAI's quest to do just that, Altman said he frequently communicates with different branches of government. The founder said his company is in contact with "a lot of people" in the executive branch and "dozens of people" in Congress.
Last month, OpenAI and Anthropic signed a deal allowing the government access to test and evaluate their artificial intelligence models. The move comes amid increasing cries for regulations as the technology rapidly advances.
Altman said his conversations with government leaders primarily focus on how the US can be a global leader in safe AI, a topic that leads to discussions of building enough data centers, producing AI chips, creating a geopolitical strategy around AI, conducting safety tests on the technology, the economic impacts of AI, and collaborating with other governments.
In August, the United States Agency for International Development became the first federal customer of OpenAI, striking a deal to use the company's ChatGPT Enterprise service. The move was largely seen as part of OpenAI's aim to bring its products to the public sector.
However, in California, OpenAI has opposed an AI safety bill that has divided the tech sector, saying it will "stifle innovation. " People like Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "godfather of AI," back the bill that would add more regulation to AI.
In March of this year, the EU passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, which went into effect over the summer.