OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called for national and international standards governing advanced artificial intelligence, saying governments need common methods to assess risks, verify safeguards and maintain human oversight as AI systems become more autonomous.
Speaking to the United Nations Security Council in New York, Altman said the most important decisions about AI should not be left solely to technology companies and argued that democratic institutions must play a central role in determining how the technology develops.
“If AI is to be democratic, the most important decisions cannot be made by labs in San Francisco alone. They must be shaped through democratic processes and by governments accountable to the people that they serve,” Altman said.
His proposal includes complementary national and international standards for frontier AI systems, covering capability measurement, risk assessment, safeguards and human oversight.
The remarks were made as the Security Council considered the international implications of rapidly advancing AI. OpenAI separately published Altman’s remarks as delivered following the meeting.
Common Standards Sought
Altman said countries need common standards that would allow governments to compare evidence and verify whether AI developers are meeting agreed safety requirements.
“We need common standards so countries can compare evidence, verify compliance, and have a shared language and understanding about what is happening,” he said.
He also called for accurate and speedy incident reporting, including common classification and reporting protocols that would allow governments and companies to learn from failures before they develop into larger problems.
In addition, he proposed secure channels between governments, critical infrastructure operators and technical experts to share information on emerging vulnerabilities and threats.
Altman said such standards should be designed to avoid locking in existing companies or favouring particular business models.
“They must support open and closed model developers, new entrants and established labs, national authority and international cooperation,” he said.
Companies Should Not Replace Democratic Process
Altman said AI companies have a role in developing the technology but should not substitute for democratic decision-making.
The OpenAI chief said governments should determine how international standards are incorporated into their own legal systems, while cooperation could establish a common basis for evaluating AI safety globally.
“Each government should decide how to incorporate standards into its own legal system. But we will all be better off if we can agree on what good evidence, good safeguards, and good oversight look like on the global stage,” he said.
He also called for international cooperation, arguing that countries that compete in other areas have previously been able to cooperate when confronting powerful new technologies.
“We need a mechanism for complementary national and international frontier AI standards,” Altman said.
The proposed framework would cover standards for measuring capabilities, assessing risks, determining whether safeguards are sufficient and preserving meaningful human oversight as AI systems become more autonomous.
Altman said OpenAI does not have all the answers and is prepared to work with governments and other stakeholders on the approach.
“We are at a crossroads,” he said, contrasting a future in which AI power is concentrated and decisions are opaque with one in which democratic institutions help determine how the technology develops.
