OpenAI may hit the brakes on AI development, Sam Altman tells staff

OpenAI is reportedly considering slowing its AI development, reducing the speed at which it releases or advances cutting-edge models. Sam Altman, the company's CEO, also wants other AI labs to join in as a form of coordinated slowdown among several major AI companies, according to a Bloomberg report.

Reportedly, Altman, in an internal meeting, told employees it may consider the slowdown, but the plan is yet to be finalised. However, a coordinated industry-wide slowdown may be difficult amid growing competition and the AI race.

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Recently, AI companies have started raising serious concerns about the potential misuse of advanced AI models. OpenAI scientist Jakub Pachocki shared a warning revealing the dangers of AI, saying that it's time for “extreme caution” and calling for voluntary slowdowns, mandatory safety frameworks enforced by third-party auditors or governments, and international coordination.

Previously, OpenAI publicly revealed that it has slowed parts of model development and
Paused certain internal AI training recently to address safety concerns.

On the other hand, AI researcher Jacob Coxon, who worked at Anthropic and OpenAI, announced his exit from the AI industry, raising fresh concerns about the pace of AI development. He said AI companies are “gambling with our lives” by developing superintelligent AI and that it could “kill us all by the end of the decade.”

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Why is the collaborative AI slowdown challenging?

A collaborative slowdown could bring several challenges given the economic, competitive, and geopolitical pressures facing the sector. One of the biggest hurdles is the first mover advantages as falling behind competitors could mean losing market share, customers, and influence.

Geopolitical competition could make an industry-wide pause even more difficult. AI development is no longer limited to Silicon Valley, as Chinese companies and state-backed initiatives are heavily investing in advanced AI systems. For Western AI companies, voluntarily slowing development could raise concerns that competitors outside such an agreement could continue advancing and gain a technological advantage.