Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has called for the United States to maintain its leadership in AI development, framing it as a critical national security issue. In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Altman argues that the future of AI hangs in the balance between two competing visions: a democratic approach that spreads benefits globally, and an authoritarian model that consolidates power.
Altman writes, "The rapid progress being made on artificial intelligence means that we face a strategic choice about what kind of world we are going to live in." He warns that authoritarian regimes are investing heavily to overtake the U.S. in AI capabilities, potentially using the technology to enhance surveillance and develop cyber weapons.
To counter this threat, Altman proposes a U.S.-led global coalition of like-minded countries. Altman outlines four key strategies for the US to maintain its AI advantage:
- Robust security measures: He calls for cyberdefense and data center security innovations, leveraging AI to protect intellectual property and training data from hackers.
- Infrastructure investment: Altman advocates for public-private partnerships to build the physical infrastructure needed for AI, from data centers to power plants, ensuring US firms can expand access to AI and its benefits.
- Nurturing talent: Developing the next generation of AI innovators, researchers, and engineers is identified as a crucial step in maintaining America's AI superpower status.
- Coherent commercial diplomacy: Altman suggests the need for clear export controls and foreign investment rules, as well as guidelines for the global build-out of AI systems, including the sensitive issue of data localization.
Altman concludes with a call for creative thinking on global norms for AI development and deployment, emphasizing the need to include the global south and nations historically left behind. He suggests models for international cooperation, such as an AI equivalent of the International Atomic Energy Agency or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
We won’t be able to have AI that is built to maximize the technology’s benefits while minimizing its risks unless we work to make sure the democratic vision for AI prevails. If we want a more democratic world, history tells us our only choice is to develop an AI strategy that will help create it, and that the nations and technologists who have a lead have a responsibility to make that choice — now.
Altman's op-ed is a timely contribution to the discourse on AI's future, and highlights the geopolitical stakes and the imperative for democratic nations to shape AI's development actively.