NEWS · COMPANIES · #1480
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushes back on religious analogies for AI models
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is uncomfortable with people ascribing religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, calling it a "real safety issue." His remarks follow a New York Times piece on Anthropic's outreach to religious leaders and a referenced statement from "Pope Leo XIV" that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity," while Altman has previously used spiritual phrasing about AI (e.g., "magic intelligence in the sky" and references to the film Her).
KEY POINTS
- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he is uncomfortable with people ascribing religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, calling it a "real safety issue." His remarks follow a New York Times piece on Anthropic's outreach to religious leaders and a referenced statement from "Pope Leo XIV" that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity," while Altman has previously used spiritual phrasing about AI (e.g., "magic intelligence in the sky" and references to the film Her).
- How AI leaders frame models—whether as tools or ascribed with spiritual authority—shapes public trust, safety discourse, and the politics of AI policy and outreach.
- Apparently, OpenAI isn't trying to build "magic intelligence in the sky" anymore
WHY IT MATTERS
How AI leaders frame models—whether as tools or ascribed with spiritual authority—shapes public trust, safety discourse, and the politics of AI policy and outreach.