OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has told employees that the company could be open to slowing the development of advanced artificial intelligence systems if other leading AI companies agree to take a similar approach.
According to a Bloomberg report, Altman discussed the possibility of slowing AI development during an internal meeting with OpenAI employees. He indicated that OpenAI could support a coordinated effort in which major AI companies agree to reduce the pace of development for increasingly powerful AI systems.
The comments come as concerns about AI safety continue to grow. Newer AI models and autonomous agents are becoming capable of handling more complex tasks, using external tools and working with less human supervision. This has increased pressure on AI companies to make sure safety measures keep pace with the development of more capable systems.
Sam Altman Discusses a Possible AI Development Slowdown
Altman’s comments do not mean that OpenAI has decided to stop or slow its AI research. Instead, he reportedly said the company would be willing to consider a slowdown if other major AI developers also agreed to limit the pace of their work.
Such an approach would likely require cooperation between several of the world’s largest AI companies. A coordinated slowdown could give researchers more time to study the risks of advanced AI systems, improve testing methods and develop stronger safety standards before more powerful models are released. The idea, however, could be difficult to implement.
OpenAI is competing with companies such as Google, Anthropic and Meta to develop increasingly capable AI systems. Each company has strong commercial and research incentives to move quickly, particularly as businesses and consumers adopt AI tools for a growing number of tasks.
Without broad industry participation, one company slowing down could potentially leave it at a disadvantage compared with competitors that continue developing their systems at the same pace.
Growing Concerns About Advanced AI Safety
The discussion comes as AI safety has become a major issue for researchers, technology companies and policymakers.
Advanced AI systems are increasingly able to perform complex tasks, interact with software and services, use tools and operate with less direct human involvement. AI agents are also being developed to complete multi-step tasks rather than simply respond to individual questions.
These capabilities have raised concerns about what could happen if an AI system behaves unexpectedly, makes serious mistakes or finds ways around safeguards established by its developers.
The risks become more difficult to assess as systems gain greater autonomy. A model that can take actions across different applications, for example, could potentially have a larger impact than a chatbot that only produces text.
OpenAI has previously acknowledged that increasingly capable AI agents could create new safety challenges. The company has also faced broader questions about whether safety research and safeguards are advancing quickly enough alongside its AI capabilities.
Calls for Common AI Safety Rules
Altman’s comments add to a wider debate about whether AI companies should agree on common safety standards before developing more advanced systems.
One argument is that voluntary cooperation between leading AI developers could help prevent companies from competing primarily on development speed. Under such an approach, companies could agree on certain limits or safety requirements that would apply to everyone participating in the agreement.
OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki has reportedly supported the idea of voluntary limits on AI development until companies can establish stronger safety standards.
More than 1,000 employees from major AI companies have also reportedly signed a petition calling for mechanisms that could slow AI development when necessary. The campaign reflects concerns among some AI workers that technical progress could move faster than the systems and rules designed to manage its risks.
However, there is still no industry-wide agreement on what level of AI capability should trigger a slowdown or how such limits would be enforced.
OpenAI Has Not Announced a Formal Slowdown
For now, OpenAI has not announced a formal pause or slowdown in its development of cutting-edge AI systems. Altman’s comments instead suggest that the company may be willing to consider a coordinated approach if other leading AI developers agree to similar restrictions.
Any industry-wide slowdown would require major AI companies to work together despite intense competition. It would also require agreement on what technologies should be covered, how long restrictions should last and what safety conditions would need to be met before development resumes.
The discussion nevertheless shows how the debate around advanced AI is changing. As AI systems become more capable and autonomous, the focus is increasingly shifting from how quickly companies can build them to whether their development can keep pace with safety research and safeguards.