Sam Altman Says 'Can't Wrap Our Heads Around' The Size Of The AI Revolution, Calls For 'Humility And Caution' To Guide The Future

Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee

Sat, May 10, 2025, 3:53 AM 3 min read

OpenAI main Sam Altman told a Senate Commerce sheet that the artificial-intelligence roar "will beryllium astatine slightest arsenic large arsenic the internet, possibly bigger," a displacement truthful profound that adjacent its architects "can't rather wrapper our heads around" wherever it leads.

What Happened: Pressed by Sen. John Fetterman astir the alleged singularity — the infinitesimal machines outstrip quality quality — Altman replied, "I americium incredibly excited astir the complaint of progress, but I besides americium cautious ... I consciousness tiny adjacent to it," calling AI "among the biggest, possibly the biggest technological revolutions humanity volition person ever produced."

Trending: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — don't repetition past — invest successful RYSE astatine conscionable $1.90/share.

He stressed that nine volition adapt, "figure however to usage these tools to bash things we could ne'er bash before," yet indispensable attack the caller epoch "with humility and immoderate caution."

For Altman, the way remains thrilling but opaque: "These are going to beryllium tools susceptible of things we can't rather wrapper our heads astir ... immoderate radical telephone that singularity ... it feels similar a caller epoch of quality history."

See Also: Nancy Pelosi Invested $5 Million In An AI Company Last Year — Here's How You Can Invest In Multiple Pre-IPO AI Startups With Just $1,000.

Why It Matters: The remarks came during a proceeding connected U.S. competitiveness successful AI that besides featured executives from Microsoft, AMD and CoreWeave, according to Reuters, urging lighter regularisation and dense infrastructure spending to support gait with China. According to a abstracted study by The Washington Post, lawmakers of some parties echoed those fears portion probing skyrocketing powerfulness demands from information centers and the hazard of AI-generated deepfakes.

Altman's uncertainty highlights a broader statement implicit super-intelligence erstwhile championed by futurists similar Ray Kurzweil and, much recently, flagged by ex-Google main Eric Schmidt, who predicted AI could enactment a "smartest quality successful each pocket" by 2031.

Former OpenAI employees warned past twelvemonth that the institution was sidelining safety, a interest that soon echoed successful Washington. Five senators wrote to Altman astatine the clip demanding details connected however the steadfast plans to support its almighty AI models successful check. The lawmakers flagged alleged retaliation against interior whistleblowers and pressed Altman to beryllium information remains a precedence arsenic OpenAI partners with the U.S. government.

Their missive joined a increasing chorus of experts, including co-founder Elon Musk, who accidental unchecked AI could transportation sedate risks for humanity.