Ethics and safety·October 3, 2026, 20:56

OpenAI chief warns against viewing AI as something religious

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Sam Altman calls it a "real safety problem" if people attribute religious power to AI models. That contrasts with his own words from 2024 about "magic intelligence in the sky."

OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, warns against giving AI models a religious status. He calls it a "real safety problem."

His comments come after reports that Anthropic has held meetings with religious thinkers. Anthropic is the company behind the AI assistant Claude. They also come after a statement on AI from Pope Leo XIV.

In contrast to earlier statements

Altman's new line differs from what he himself has said before. As recently as 2024, he talked about building "magic intelligence in the sky." He also talked about the feeling of being "on the side of the angels" when working with AI.

The story was first reported by The Decoder.