Why did Sam Altman warn G7 leaders not to cede AI control?

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Sam Altman warned G7 leaders not to cede AI control because he argued governments, not AI builders, should set the rules and because he expects highly powerful AI systems within a year or two.

Altman urged leaders at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, not to hand control of rapidly advancing AI to the companies building it. He said “We develop the technology, and the citizens of the free world make the rules,” adding that technologists have “special knowledge about AI” but do not have “special wisdom about humanity.” He also framed the issue around the scale of change he expects, saying AI systems with “astonishing power” could reshape human life within a year or two.
He said AI builders should not hold the “consequential choices”
Altman’s warning focused on who sets the governing rules for deploying AI. He told leaders and tech executives, “Do not cede your responsibilities to AI labs like mine,” during a session at the summit, while also stating that citizens of democratic countries should make the rules rather than the developers.
He argued technologists lack “special wisdom about humanity”
In explaining his position, Altman drew a distinction between technical expertise and broader human judgment. He said technologists have special knowledge about AI, but “they don’t have any special wisdom about humanity,” which underpinned his view that responsibility should not rest with the companies building the systems.
He pointed to near-term AI systems with “astonishing power”
Altman said the question of whether AI is useful “has been settled,” and he expected systems of “astonishing power” within a year or two. He compared the likely impact to the way electricity changed life, signalling that the stakes of control would be unusually high in the near term.
His remarks came amid US and EU disagreements on AI control
Altman spoke as the United States and Europe differed on how tightly AI should be regulated. The European Union has passed strict rules that classify AI systems by risk and impose tough requirements for higher-risk uses, while the US under President Donald Trump rolled back some rules, even as it temporarily banned foreigners from accessing the most powerful AI models from Anthropic for national security reasons.

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Why did Sam Altman warn G7 leaders not to cede AI control?

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