ABU DHABI, November 3, 2026: OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has warned against allowing artificial intelligence to make decisions about humanity’s future, stressing that human judgment, creativity and accountability must remain central as AI systems become increasingly powerful.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) on Monday, Altman said AI capabilities had advanced dramatically since the beginning of the year.
He claimed that while AI models were previously unable to match the world’s most intelligent scientists, they had now surpassed them in many areas.
Altman also highlighted the rapid improvement in AI’s ability to perform office-related tasks, saying systems that struggled with much of this work earlier in the year could now handle a substantial proportion of it.
Despite these advances, he cautioned against gradually transferring decision-making authority to artificial intelligence, particularly when determining what is best for people.
The OpenAI chief emphasised that AI should be developed as a tool to assist and serve humanity rather than a technology that dictates human choices.
He acknowledged that artificial intelligence would have far-reaching consequences for employment and the global economy but maintained that human oversight and responsibility must remain essential.
Addressing the infrastructure challenges facing the industry, Altman identified energy availability as a major obstacle to further AI development.
He said the growing electricity requirements of AI data centres could constrain progress, even as technological capabilities continued to improve.
According to Altman, expanding electricity generation and securing the physical resources needed to support AI infrastructure would remain significant challenges because of their cost and availability.