OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated in a podcast on August 23 that he is concerned AI could end up under control of a few companies or individuals, leaving most consumers without influence over its development. He argued that people should have strong control over AI’s future to ensure society and models evolve together, warning that prioritizing security by limiting freedom could lead to monopolies. He also noted the contradiction between his fear of AI losing human control and such security measures, citing Anthropic’s CEO Amode’s calls for government regulation of the Mythos model as an example. Altman highlighted that Anthropic was the only major company to reject a previous call for open weights, while China has adopted this approach to develop AI at lower cost. He added that U.S. AI leaders have failed to clearly explain how AI boosts people’s autonomy, despite the technology driving a record number of small business startups.