An explosive investigation questions whether Sam Altman’s can steward AI responsibly

A major investigation raises doubts about Sam Altman’s leadership of OpenAI, as debates intensify over trust, regulation, and whether the industry is prepared for the rapid rise of powerful AI systems.

Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, is one of the most consequential figures shaping the future of artificial intelligence. This week, a major investigation by The New Yorker sparked serious questions about whether Altman can be trusted to steward AI responsibly as he pushes forward with plans for technologies he and other AI evangelists say could soon rival or exceed human intelligence.

The reporting, based on internal documents and scores of interviews, reveals that some former OpenAI colleagues have repeatedly questioned Altman’s leadership and candour. One senior scientist’s memos reportedly argued that he was not sufficiently trustworthy to run the organisation as it approached the powerful frontier of artificial intelligence, a debate that exploded publicly when the OpenAI board briefly ousted Altman in 2023 before reinstating him in response to pressure from investors and staff.

Altman released a report of his own this week. In the paper, Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age, he warned that “superintelligence” systems capable of outperforming humans in cognitive tasks could reshape economies and societies on a scale comparable to previous industrial revolutions. Altman proposed wide‑ranging preparations, from robot taxes and universal wealth funds to shortening the work week and expanding social safety nets.

Some see Altman’s regulatory vision as a necessary wake‑up call for global lawmakers and social contracts to evolve as AI rises. Others argue that positioning such broad economic reforms distracts from the urgent need for concrete, enforceable rules to govern current AI models and warn that calling for a kind of “AI New Deal” could dilute regulatory focus.

This isn’t merely a debate for tech insiders: AI has the potential to change our world, for better or for worse, so it’s crucial for society at large to weigh in.