Trump meets OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at GOP convention to discuss AI risks

Former US President Donald Trump met with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman behind the scenes at the Republican National Convention, according to MS NOW.

The meeting, reportedly requested by Altman, focused on the growing power of artificial intelligence and the rapid developments in the sector.

The discussion comes as artificial intelligence draws increasing attention in US political circles, given its expanding impact on the economy, security, and technology.

Altman argued that competitive pressures in the United States do not justify reckless AI development at the expense of safety and oversight. He stressed that companies should not wait for formal legislation or antitrust exemptions, but should immediately establish their own safeguards and accountability standards, even as government support and international coordination remain necessary.

Altman's remarks came in response to Donald Trump's position, which opposes regulatory restrictions on advanced technology, dismissing safety concerns as unrealistic and emphasizing that Washington's priority is to "win the AI race." In contrast, Altman supported a proposal by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to allow independent reviewers to evaluate advanced AI models before their release.

Altman called for the creation of new safety tools that surpass outdated frameworks, such as implementing explicit "safety cases" before beginning reinforcement training for advanced models. He clarified that slowing the pace of development does not mean "halting progress," but rather reducing speed to give safety and alignment mechanisms time to evolve. Altman predicted that other leading labs would adopt these standards. He summarized AI risks in two catastrophic scenarios: loss of control—where humanity loses command of the technology, requiring alignment techniques to stay ahead of model capabilities; and monopoly and dominance—where a single company, individual, or nation gains control of superintelligent AI and imposes its behavioral vision on the world.