New Delhi — OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said on Saturday that he is "very uncomfortable about people trying to ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models," calling it "a real safety issue" — a remark widely read as a veiled criticism of rival Anthropic.
Altman's post on X did not name any company. But it landed days after a New York Times report described private meetings in which Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah discussed with religious leaders whether AI models could be conscious, and how increasingly powerful systems might be made moral. Axios described Altman's post as a veiled shot at Anthropic; neither OpenAI nor Anthropic immediately responded to Axios's requests for comment, according to reports of the episode.
A simmering debate
The Times reported on September 29 that Olah had pressed the question of machine consciousness with religious leaders and had even floated pulling Anthropic out of the May presentation of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence after seeing an advance copy — though he ultimately spoke at the event. Anthropic has said its constitution for Claude leaves the question of the model's moral status open, describing it as "live enough to warrant caution."
Altman is not the only leading AI figure raising the alarm. Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman has also warned that treating AI as if it has feelings could be dangerous, and has said Microsoft is working on a code of conduct aimed at keeping humans "always in control."
Some observers noted that Altman himself has used spiritual language in the past — he once described OpenAI's goal as building "magic intelligence in the sky" — a point made by industry commentators as the debate continues.
Sources: The Times of India — OpenAI's Sam Altman criticises Anthropic's push to explore AI consciousness and religion, NDTV — OpenAI Vs Anthropic: Sam Altman Takes A Jab Over 'Religious Force', The Decoder — OpenAI isn't trying to build 'magic intelligence in the sky' anymore
Altman's post on X did not name any company. But it landed days after a New York Times report described private meetings in which Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah discussed with religious leaders whether AI models could be conscious, and how increasingly powerful systems might be made moral. Axios described Altman's post as a veiled shot at Anthropic; neither OpenAI nor Anthropic immediately responded to Axios's requests for comment, according to reports of the episode.
A simmering debate
The Times reported on September 29 that Olah had pressed the question of machine consciousness with religious leaders and had even floated pulling Anthropic out of the May presentation of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence after seeing an advance copy — though he ultimately spoke at the event. Anthropic has said its constitution for Claude leaves the question of the model's moral status open, describing it as "live enough to warrant caution."
Altman is not the only leading AI figure raising the alarm. Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman has also warned that treating AI as if it has feelings could be dangerous, and has said Microsoft is working on a code of conduct aimed at keeping humans "always in control."
Some observers noted that Altman himself has used spiritual language in the past — he once described OpenAI's goal as building "magic intelligence in the sky" — a point made by industry commentators as the debate continues.
Sources: The Times of India — OpenAI's Sam Altman criticises Anthropic's push to explore AI consciousness and religion, NDTV — OpenAI Vs Anthropic: Sam Altman Takes A Jab Over 'Religious Force', The Decoder — OpenAI isn't trying to build 'magic intelligence in the sky' anymore
