OpenAI Puts IPO Plans on Hold Amid AI Safety Concerns

OpenAI will not pursue an initial public offering in 2026 as the company focuses on reducing potentially catastrophic risks associated with artificial intelligence, CEO Sam Altman said in remarks published Saturday.

“I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don’t feel pressure on that,” Altman told business magazine Fortune.

His comments were made amid renewed warnings about the possible consequences of rapidly advancing AI systems. Two researchers from OpenAI competitor Anthropic recently warned that AI could eventually threaten humanity, prompting lawmakers from both parties to call for more safeguards.

Altman was asked if there was a 10 percent chance that AI could lead to the extinction of humanity.

He responded by saying he didn’t know how an estimate like that could be made but did say the risk was enough that AI companies and governments should not tolerate it.

“Whether it’s 10 or eight or six, ​the point is, we all have a tremendous amount of responsibility, and cannot let egos or incentives for profit or anything else get in the way,” Altman said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted on X a video on Sept. 10 of “Nobel Prize Winner and the Godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton” saying it wasn’t an unreasonable estimate that there was a 10 percent chance AI could cause the extinction of humans. Hinton noted that no one knows how to even come up with such an estimate.

“I’m bringing some of the world’s leading AI safety experts to Capitol Hill to brief Senators in both parties on what we can do to rein in AI—before it’s too late,” Sanders said. “The American people want action.”

Fortune asked Altman if an IPO in 2026 had been put on hold until 2027. Altman said it wouldn’t happen in 2026.

“We got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety ​and alignment, and how the industry ​and governments can work together,” Altman said.

Altman also suggested OpenAI and other top AI companies may be near a deal to slow AI development and cooperate in dealing with safety risks.

Anthropic CEO ​Dario Amodei also addressed safety concerns. On Saturday, he urged AI companies to be cautious with AI development.

“We must slow the pace ​at which we improve ⁠the capabilities of AI models,” Amodei wrote in a blog.

Reuters contributed to this report.