Given the deep disenchantment with tech power that has set in during the past decade, why would political leaders have lined up to fete Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI?
In 2023, buoyed by the blockbuster release of his company’s ChatGPT, Altman set out on a world tour that brought audiences with leaders in countries including France, the UK and India. He came with a message that was both chilling and inspiring: without proper controls, advanced artificial intelligence might spell doom — but if you trust OpenAI to build it first, the technology will redound to the good of humanity.
A slightly built, earnest talker who was little known outside Silicon Valley, Altman had soaked up the lessons from an earlier generation of tech luminaries. The tour was a brilliant pre-emptive strike suggested by his friend Brian Chesky, head of Airbnb, whose own company had failed to win over politicians early enough.