Tweet by sama

March 3, 2026

(I also would like to share this, which I wrote after thinking a little more.) There is a lot we will talk about in the coming days, but since this is one of the first "real deal" decisions we have faced, I wanted to share a few things that have been heavily on my mind the past few days. These are the principles I care most about for this decision: alignment, democratization, empowerment, and individual agency. The democratic process must stay in control, and we must democratize AI. OpenAI should not decide the fate of the world; no private company should. We need to work with governments, but also we need to make sure individuals get increasing power. Things are moving so fast that we need to urgently educate the world so that the democratic process has time to catch up. I think one of our most important strategic decisions ever was the principle of iterative deployment. In particular, the key element required for democracy, such as protection of privacy, must be defended by all of society. I believe that, as some of the creators of this new technology, we deserve to and are obligated to have a loud voice about the risks, pitfalls, and benefits we see. I think we are heading towards a world where the relationship between governments and AI efforts is critical. This will be difficult but it has to happen; I do not see any good future where we don't get there. There should not be games and fights in the press like this; drastic government action should be avoided. I think there are real dangers coming to the world, and maybe pretty soon; I tried to put myself in the mindset of how I'd feel the day after an attack on the US or a new bioweapon we could have helped prevent.

Author
sama
Date
March 3, 2026
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