OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes artificial general intelligence (AGI)—AI that matches or surpasses human intelligence—is coming into view and could arrive within the next decade.
But in a recent blog post, he warned that its benefits will not be equally distributed and that its impact on society could be profound.
“The future will be coming at us in a way that is impossible to ignore, and the long-term changes to our society and economy will be huge,” Altman wrote.
Among those changes, he pointed to the shifting balance of power between capital and labor, which could worsen wealth inequality.
He also warned that authoritarian governments could use advanced AI for mass surveillance and control, raising concerns about human autonomy.
Despite these risks, Altman highlighted that AGI’s biggest impact may be in scientific progress, potentially outpacing all other effects.
His comments come amid growing unease about the speed of AI development. Steven Adler, a former OpenAI safety officer, recently expressed concern about the industry’s race toward AGI, warning that no lab has solved the AI alignment problem—ensuring AI’s goals align with human values.
“An AGI race is a very risky gamble, with huge downside,” Adler wrote on X.
“Even if a lab truly wants to develop AGI responsibly, others can still cut corners to catch up, maybe disastrously.”
