Sam Altman Mentions Possibility of AGI Nationalization Amid Defense Department Contract Issues

Altman also mentioned the possibility of the government "nationalizing" private AI companies, noting that while it is very unlikely on the current trajectory, a close partnership between the government and companies is extremely important.

Fortune points out the history of technologies with strategic significance, such as the Manhattan Project and space exploration, being led by the government. Last week, the Department of Defense warned Anthropic regarding the obligation to accept contracts under the Defense Production Act, which Fortune reported as being equivalent to a "soft nationalization."

In a Q&A on X, Altman admitted that he senses pressure regarding attempts at nationalization.

Meanwhile, Katherine Mulligan, OpenAI's Head of National Security Partnerships, responded that even if AGI were developed, access rights would not be automatically transferred to the Department of Defense. She explained that currently, companies manage "which models are deployed."

Debates have also intensified within the IT industry, with approximately 100 people from OpenAI and 856 from Google signing an online statement titled "We Will Not Divide." The statement calls on management to refuse the use of models for large-scale domestic surveillance or autonomous killing without human supervision.

There has also been movement among developers, with some showing support by uninstalling OpenAI's ChatGPT and switching to Anthropic's Claude. This trend led Claude to reach number one on Apple's App Store.

CNN reported that graffiti asking "Where is your red line?" and "What are the safeguards?" was found on the sidewalk outside the OpenAI office in San Francisco.