WEBVTT

00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.357
I'm honored to be here and to be able
to speak with you all at this important

00:00:03.440 --> 00:00:07.757
time. We've been talking about
artificial intelligence for years, but

00:00:07.840 --> 00:00:11.917
it feels different in recent weeks
and months. Rapid model progress has made

00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.517
the timeline feel more compressed,
the upside more tangible, but also the

00:00:15.600 --> 00:00:18.557
stakes and the risks more immediate. We

00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.517
have a choice in front of us. AI can

00:00:21.600 --> 00:00:25.757
either be more like a new renaissance
of creativity and discovery or more like a

00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:27.757
new industrial revolution of upheaval

00:00:27.840 --> 00:00:30.477
and disarray. The Renaissance was a time

00:00:30.560 --> 00:00:33.117
when new tools, new ideas, and new

00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:34.877
institutions expanded what people

00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.837
believed they could do. AI can play that

00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:42.237
role for our time. I believe that people
are much more capable than they imagine

00:00:42.320 --> 00:00:46.157
themselves to be, but have been held
back by limited technology that was

00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:50.797
meant to empower but instead
distracts and often steals attention.

00:00:50.880 --> 00:00:55.117
The best version of AI is not about
making people cogs in a giant machine or

00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.797
optimizing every part of life
until the human parts disappear.

00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:02.717
It is about giving people more agency in
an ever more complex world. More ability

00:01:02.800 --> 00:01:05.677
to learn, to create, discover, build,

00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:07.997
participate. There are many things that

00:01:08.080 --> 00:01:12.717
AI cannot and should not automate.
AI should be built for people, not simply

00:01:12.800 --> 00:01:17.597
to turn the crank crank of the
machines faster for their own sake.

00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:20.717
Some of the things people working to build
AI have said are so dystopian that

00:01:20.800 --> 00:01:22.237
they sound like the plot of bad science

00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:25.037
fiction movies. Anything this power is

00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:29.837
also powerful is also intimidating.
This moment is complicated as we feel both

00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:35.197
tremendous potential and the very
understandable anxiety at the same time.

00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:38.477
These models can help people discover
new knowledge, new medicines, better

00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:42.157
healthare, stronger education, and build
more productive economies. They can be

00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:45.997
new tools for people to pursue dreams
and ambition that today feel out of

00:01:46.080 --> 00:01:49.837
reach. The complexity of life has
increased so dramatically for the

00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:53.437
average person. AI can be
a defensive tool against this

00:01:53.520 --> 00:01:57.277
complexity as much as it can be
this tool of unprecedented discovery and

00:01:57.360 --> 00:01:59.437
innovation.

00:01:59.520 --> 00:02:01.917
On the other hand, as AI systems become

00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.477
more capable and more autonomous, they

00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:06.637
could move faster than our institutions,

00:02:06.720 --> 00:02:09.357
concentrate power in two too few hands,

00:02:09.440 --> 00:02:14.477
or make decisions that people
no longer understand or control.

00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:17.917
That concern becomes especially
important as we approach systems that

00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:21.757
can improve themselves and future
versions of themselves, often called

00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.997
recursive self-improvement.
As the process of building AI becomes

00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:28.397
more automated, the pace of AI progress

00:02:28.480 --> 00:02:30.797
could accelerate rapidly. This moment

00:02:30.880 --> 00:02:35.997
calls for extreme care.
I largely agree with Professor Benjio.

00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:39.117
Uh although I'll say two instead of three,
I believe there are two ways that

00:02:39.200 --> 00:02:41.277
AI progress could go very badly that we

00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:44.477
have to avoid. First, we could lose

00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:49.197
control of the future to AI.
The risk is that it moves so fast that

00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:52.877
people can no longer follow what's
happening or intervene when needed. This

00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:56.477
would obviously be terrible.
The industry must not accept too much

00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.757
technological risk just because
the benefits are too great and that they

00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:03.837
feel too important to slow down. Beating
companies in competitive race is not a

00:03:03.920 --> 00:03:06.957
reason to make rash decisions. Nor do we
believe we are locked in a race where we

00:03:07.040 --> 00:03:10.157
are unable to do that. We have
unilaterally slowed down in the past. We

00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:13.037
will do so in the future. We do not
want to build systems. We think it's

00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.557
important that everyone avoids building
systems where we cannot make the

00:03:16.640 --> 00:03:20.717
alignment, monitor, and safety
guarantees that we must. We need to

00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.917
understand what these systems are doing
and have strong evidence that they will

00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.237
do what people intend even as they get
very very smart. Actually, especially as

00:03:28.320 --> 00:03:30.797
they get very, very smart. It doesn't

00:03:30.880 --> 00:03:35.757
matter whether people put the risk
of catastrophe at 10% or 1% or 12% or.1%.

00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.957
None of these levels are remotely
acceptable. And we should not train

00:03:39.040 --> 00:03:42.477
models that we cannot make an extremely
strong case that will be able to keep

00:03:42.560 --> 00:03:47.517
under human control. So that's one
way things can go wrong. In the other

00:03:47.600 --> 00:03:50.477
direction, these systems could
concentrate too much power in too few

00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:53.517
hands. No one person or company or

00:03:53.600 --> 00:03:55.437
country should be able to use the most

00:03:55.520 --> 00:04:00.717
powerful AI models to impose their
worldview on everyone else. A company or

00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.917
country that believes only it can be
trusted with this technology can use

00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:05.597
that belief to justify almost anything

00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.157
else. We have to reject that logic even

00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:11.277
when it's convenient for anyone actor. I

00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:15.837
believe there is a pragmatic path
through both of these. At OpenAI, we

00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:20.077
approach these questions with a clear
goal. AI should give people more power

00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.597
over their own lives, more freedom
to live lives the way they want, more

00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:28.077
ability to solve problems, big or small,
and to improve their communities. We

00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:31.197
don't want to fall into the trap
of blind optimism. We also don't want to

00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:33.517
fall into the trap of dumerism either.

00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:37.197
Getting pulled into either extreme will
not help us successfully figure out the

00:04:37.280 --> 00:04:41.117
challenges in front of us. Especially
at a time when the world and its people

00:04:41.200 --> 00:04:45.677
face such enormous challenges that this
technology can help solve. So we try to

00:04:45.760 --> 00:04:47.197
walk the middle path between these two

00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:49.677
poles. For us, that means three

00:04:49.760 --> 00:04:53.437
principles. First, as AI becomes more

00:04:53.520 --> 00:04:57.757
capable, people must remain
at the center of AI decision-m

00:04:57.840 --> 00:05:01.357
alignment is not an abstract research
question. It is the work of ensuring

00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:06.157
that these systems reliably remain under
human control, reflect human values, and

00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.077
help people guide the next stages
of development. We are not trying to and

00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:13.677
must not automate human
judgment or human values.

00:05:13.760 --> 00:05:17.917
Second, the benefits of scientific
progress and economic growth must be by

00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:21.597
people and for people. AI should help
researchers make discoveries, doctors

00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.037
treat patients, teachers teach students,
entrepreneurs start companies,

00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:28.877
communities solve problems that felt out
of reach, and much more. The continuous

00:05:28.960 --> 00:05:33.357
story of human progress is not that
tools replace human agency. It is that

00:05:33.440 --> 00:05:36.397
the right tools make people more capable.
And I believe this is going to

00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.957
go much further than we believe possible.
Third, this technology must

00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:45.037
empower people individually. A great
future will come from people realizing

00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:48.717
their potential and building value
for themselves, their communities, their

00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.157
countries, and the broader world.
We might be the builders, one of the

00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:55.837
builders of this technology, but we are
not the heroes of the story. Our role is

00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:59.837
to enable people all over the world
and to trust in the magic of humanity's

00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:04.237
skill and faculties.
We now have models capable of

00:06:04.320 --> 00:06:08.157
discovering knowledge that we have never
had before. Consider the progress we've

00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:13.357
seen in math. Three summers ago,
our models were okay at grade school math.

00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:17.597
Two summers ago, they were pretty good
at high school math competitions. Last

00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:20.877
summer, we reached gold a gold
level medal in the most prestigious

00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:25.357
international math competition. And just
a few weeks ago this summer, one of our

00:06:25.440 --> 00:06:29.837
models solved one of the Millennium Prize
problems, the Navia Stokes equations.

00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:33.277
These equations are used for aircraft
design, weather forecasting, and the

00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.957
study of blood flow. We are not solving
math problems for their own sake, but to

00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:40.957
empower people to discover new knowledge
and to use it to improve healthcare,

00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.957
raise standards of living of living,
and expand everyone's potential around the

00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:48.477
world. There remains so
much to be discovered,

00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:51.517
but it's very important that companies
not substitute for the democratic

00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.477
process. If AI is to be democratic, the

00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:58.717
most important decisions cannot be made
by labs in San Francisco alone. They

00:06:58.800 --> 00:07:02.237
must be shaped through democratic
processes and by governments accountable

00:07:02.320 --> 00:07:04.877
to the people that they serve. At the

00:07:04.960 --> 00:07:09.837
international level, this will require
cooperation. In our history, there have

00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:12.717
been times where countries who compete
and don't always like each other very

00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:16.557
much still come together for shared
interests and the collective good in the

00:07:16.640 --> 00:07:18.957
face of a powerful new technology. We

00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.237
believe this must be one of those times.

00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:25.837
We need a mechanism for complimentary
national and international frontier AI

00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:30.557
standards. Standards for measuring
capabilities, assessing risks,

00:07:30.640 --> 00:07:33.997
determining whether safeguards are
sufficient, and preserving meaningful

00:07:34.080 --> 00:07:37.517
human oversight as systems
become more autonomous.

00:07:37.600 --> 00:07:41.997
We need common standards so countries
can compare evidence, verify compliance,

00:07:42.080 --> 00:07:45.837
and have a shared language
and understanding about what is happening.

00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.677
We need accurate and speedy incident
reporting, classification and reporting

00:07:49.760 --> 00:07:54.797
protocols so the world can learn from
failures before they become catastrophes.

00:07:54.880 --> 00:07:58.077
And we need secure channels among
governments, critical infrastructure

00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:01.837
operators and technical experts
to share emerging vulnerabilities and new

00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:05.117
threats. Obviously,
these standards should not

00:08:05.200 --> 00:08:09.517
lock in incumbents or favor one business
model over another. They must support

00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.597
open and closed model developers, new
entrance and established labs, national

00:08:13.680 --> 00:08:17.277
authority, and international cooperation.
Each government should

00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:20.877
decide how to incorporate standards into
its own legal system, but we will all be

00:08:20.960 --> 00:08:24.797
better off if we can agree on what
good evidence, good safeguards, and good

00:08:24.880 --> 00:08:27.837
oversight look like on the global stage.

00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:31.757
We do not have all the answers,
and we're very open to any better ideas.

00:08:31.840 --> 00:08:34.797
We're ready to work with you all and try
our hardest to figure out the path

00:08:34.880 --> 00:08:38.637
forward. We are at a crossroads.

00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:43.117
One path leads to a world where power
is concentrated, decisions are opaque, and

00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:45.997
people feel that the most important
technology of their lifetime is

00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:48.957
something being done to them. The other

00:08:49.040 --> 00:08:53.437
path leads to a world where AI works for
people because people through democratic

00:08:53.520 --> 00:08:57.677
institutions help decide how it should
develop and guide it, where scientific

00:08:57.760 --> 00:09:01.597
progress improves real lives, where more
people can participate in the future,

00:09:01.680 --> 00:09:05.437
and where this technology continues to
give individuals and communities greater

00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:09.517
power to live life as they choose.
This is a future of realized potential,

00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:14.640
excitement, and wonder. And it is the
future we believe is worth building.