Sam Altman Tells Congress US Must Pursue 'Sensible Regulation,' Avoid 'Silly Mistake' To Stay Ahead Of China In AI Race: 'It's Hard To Say How Far Ahead We Are…'

On Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared before Congress for the first time in two years, delivering a clear message: The U.S must focus on innovation, not overregulation, if it hopes to maintain its lead over China in artificial intelligence.

What Happened: Altman, dressed conservatively in a dark suit and blue tie, faced a group of lawmakers during the Capitol Hill hearing, reported Fortune.

In response to a question from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) about how close China is to U.S. AI capabilities, Altman said, "It's hard to say how far ahead we are, but I would say not a huge amount of time."

See Also: Elon Musk Says Will Come As A ‘Surprise To Most' As China's Economy Surpasses US And EU Amid Rising Tariffs And Growing Recession Fears

Altman added that models developed by OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, and other U.S. companies are currently the best in the world, but staying ahead requires "sensible regulation" that "does not slow us down."

This is not rocket science, Altman stated, adding, "We just need to keep doing the things that have worked for so long and not make a silly mistake."

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Why It's Important: Altman's testimony marks a striking shift from his 2023 appearance, when he focused on AI safety and called for strong government oversight to manage the risks of powerful AI models.

With China aggressively investing in AI development, Altman argued that the U.S. needs to strengthen its capabilities to secure a leadership position in this critical technology.

While some lawmakers raised questions about OpenAI's business practices, the overall tone of the hearing was supportive, reflecting bipartisan recognition of the stakes involved in the U.S.-China AI race, the report said.

Earlier this week, OpenAI also named Instacart CEO Fidji Simo as its first CEO of Applications, a newly created role reporting directly to Altman.

ChatGPT-parent has also reportedly informed investors that it intends to reduce the portion of its revenue shared with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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