OpenAI's Sam Altman clashes with EU commissioner over AI Act
OpenAI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman's European goodwill tour devolved into a war of words with European Union regulators after he said his company could pull out of the bloc over its proposed AI Act.
“The details really matter,” Altman, whose company kicked off the artificial intelligence boom with the release of ChatGPT last year, told reporters in London this week. “We will try to comply, but if we can't comply we will cease operating.”
His warning comes as EU regulators are considering laws that will hold AI companies accountable for how their systems are used. EU lawmakers voted in committee in favor of additional controls earlier this month, amid fears the new technology could be used to create deepfakes or violate people's privacy.
Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton responded Thursday on Twitter by accusing Altman of trying to intimidate regulators.
“There is no point in attempting blackmail — claiming that by crafting a clear framework, Europe is holding up the rollout of generative #AI,” Breton wrote. He referenced the EU's “AI Pact,” a new voluntary framework discussed with Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai this week, through which the EU will help companies prepare for the AI Act.
A spokeswoman for OpenAI didn't respond to a request for comment.
Altman is in the middle of a global tour to promote OpenAI and speak to regulators. He was in Poland earlier in the week, where he said his company was considering opening a research office in Europe, and is also visiting Munich and Paris. Altman did not stop in Brussels.
The EU's AI Act is on track to be the first comprehensive legislation to address artificial intelligence. While the original proposal focused on regulating its use rather than the technology
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