Sam Altman outlines four-point plan for US AI dominance

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is sounding the alarm on the urgent need for a US-led global coalition to shape the future of artificial intelligence.

In a recent interview with Axios and an op-ed for The Washington Post, Altman emphasized the need for urgent action from both federal and state governments to secure America's leadership in the global AI race, particularly against China's growing ambitions.

"The future continues to come at us fast," Altman told Axios in a phone interview Wednesday. "I'm grateful that some stuff is happening [at the White House and on Capitol Hill]. But I don't think we're seeing the level of seriousness that this warrants."

The CEO then outlined four things the US needs to do to stay ahead, but not before expressing his concerns over AI democracy. He said he is worried that authoritarian regimes could misuse AI technologies for surveillance and control. "We need the democratic — small 'd' democratic — world to win here, and we have the opportunity to do it," he told Axios.

The four-point action plan

According to Altman, these are the four critical areas that the U.S. public and technology sectors need to focus on to maintain a democratic vision for AI:

Basic Security: Developing advanced cyber defense and data center security measures to protect intellectual property, such as AI model weights and training data.

Infrastructure Development: Collaborating with the private sector to build essential physical infrastructure, including data centers and power plants, to support the growth of AI technologies.

Commercial Diplomacy: Establishing clear guidelines for export controls and foreign investment to regulate the global development and localization of AI systems.

Global Governance: Proposing the creation of an international body similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to oversee the development and standardization of AI technologies.

The CEO was also asked how much it matters who wins the White House to which he responded that AI transcends any political standing. He said that his company will “proudly work with whoever is the next President of the United States. ... This is an issue for the United States of America much more than an issue for either political party."

The OpenAI CEO's call to action highlights the growing recognition of AI as a geopolitical and societal challenge. As the technology continues to advance, the world is watching to see how the United States will respond.