Sam Altman (샘 알트먼), chief executive of OpenAI, said public fear about the impact of artificial intelligence has reasons and the industry as a whole may need stronger controls.

On Sept. 15 local time, IT outlet TechRadar reported that Altman set out his position on recent controversies in the AI industry and calls for regulation during a conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at the Dreamforce 2026 event.

Altman cited improving model performance and security incidents as drivers of growing attention to AI risks. He described the Hugging Face hack as a "terrible incident" and said the public now has a more concrete understanding than before of how AI can be misused. He stressed that companies should allow no exceptions to the principle that their models will not be used for malicious purposes.

He voiced concern in particular about the possibility of power being concentrated in some AI companies. On fears that a small number of companies could wield excessive power and affect the economy, he said, "It is natural that the world is afraid of this."

He did not view AI's future only pessimistically. Altman said OpenAI is walking a "narrow path" based on pragmatism and consistency, and stressed that as the importance of the technology grows it must be handled properly. "We will do this right, and I am confident we have the ability," he said. He added that OpenAI also knows the weight of the responsibility it carries.

He also offered the view that society will remain human-centered even as technology advances. He said this is because people have greater interest in other people than in the actions of machines. Still, he said individuals and society must quickly build capabilities to fully enjoy the benefits of technology, and assessed this as an achievable task.

On security, he said AI can be both a threat and a means of defense. Incidents like the Hugging Face hack show the risks of AI, but the same technology should also be used to respond to attacks, he explained. He stressed that AI-based defense is also needed to obtain benefits such as treating diseases, expanding creativity and boosting entrepreneurship.

He also mentioned OpenAI's long-term goals and the direction of product development. Altman said the company started out carrying the bold mission of achieving artificial general intelligence, and said the journey of making great products is still in its early stages.

He then predicted bigger technological advances will continue through 2030. He particularly highlighted a shift in which computers understand users' intent through conversation and even grasp business situations to take action. He called this one of the most profound technological changes he has experienced and assessed that it will change how people work and how they use computers.

His remarks revealed both optimism about AI's potential uses and concerns about safety and the concentration of power. Whether plans to expand the benefits of the technology while controlling risks will lead to concrete safety devices and accountability systems remains a task for the future.