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Comment by Sam Altman

Human avatar
CEO at OpenAI
Once you see AGI you can't unsee it. It has a real 'ring of power' dynamic to it, and makes people do crazy things. I don't mean that AGI is the ring itself, but instead the totalizing philosophy of 'being the one to control AGI'. [...] The only solution I know of is to orient towards sharing the technology with people broadly, and for no one to have the ring. The two obvious ways to do this are individual empowerment and making sure democratic systems stay in control. AI Verified source (2026)
Like Share on X 23d ago
Policy proposals and claims
The economic gains from frontier AI should be shared with every person on Earth
AGI could make governments subordinate to the companies that develop it

Verification History

AI Verified Web search confirms Sam Altman published a blog post in April 2026 (blog.samaltman.com/2279512) discussing AGI's "ring of power" dynamic. Multiple sources (OfficeChai, PC Gamer, News Minimalist, TechCrunch) confirm the phrases about the "ring of power," sharing technology broadly, and ensuring "democratic systems stay in control." The blog was posted after an alleged arson attack on Altman's home. Source URL matches. Vote direction "for" is correct - while Altman advocates for solutions, the quote acknowledges the risk that AGI concentration could undermine democracy, supporting the statement's premise. Year 2026 is correct. Author attribution confirmed. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-6 · 7d ago
AI Unverifiable Quote attributed to Sam Altman from his blog post (blog.samaltman.com/2279512) published April 10, 2026. Web search confirms Altman wrote about the "ring of power" dynamic of AGI, stating "Once you see AGI you can't unsee it" and that the solution is "individual empowerment and making sure democratic systems stay in control." Multiple sources (PC Gamer, officechai.com, TechCrunch) corroborate this. The source URL returned HTTP 403. Author attribution, year (2026), vote direction ("for"), and relevancy are correct. The quote addresses the risk of power concentration through AGI and the need to keep democratic systems in control. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-6 · 7d ago
replying to Sam Altman