OpenAI's Altman voices support for AI "speed control" argument: cannot recklessly push forward due to competitive pressure.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly endorsed the idea of "speed control" for AI development last Sunday, to prevent frontier models from advancing faster than humanity's ability to maintain control. Altman's remarks echoed the wording of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. He said that shifting focus to safety comes at a cost, but that cost is worth it to maintain confidence that American companies are developing increasingly powerful AI responsibly. "No matter how intense the competitive pressure facing the United States, it should not be a reason for recklessness, let alone allow capability development to outpace alignment and monitoring," Altman posted on X, stressing that ensuring safety does not mean halting progress. "What we mean by 'speed control' is not 'stop.'" Shortly before that, Amodei and SpaceX and xAI boss Elon Musk rarely aligned in calling for a brake on AI development. Earlier this month, Altman told OpenAI employees that the startup is willing to slow the pace of pushing frontier technology to better understand the risks; he also confirmed the company will not hold an IPO in 2026 and will prioritize safety-related matters. On Monday, Asian AI-related stocks fell. SoftBank Group, a major OpenAI investor, plunged 13% in the Japanese market, while South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each dropped more than 4% in the Korean market. In his X post last Sunday, Altman reiterated that OpenAI supports a federal-level AI framework and said AI companies need U.S. help on international coordination.