--- title: "Sam Altman Says He’s Fascinated With the Terminator" description: "Sam Altman is taking a victory lap after being unsuccessfully ousted as CEO of OpenAI — and he's saying weird stuff in public again." date: "2023-12-14" modified: "2023-12-14" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sam-altman-terminator" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai safety" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "the digest" --- # Sam Altman Says He’s Fascinated With the Terminator ![Sam Altman is taking a victory lap after being unsuccessfully ousted as CEO of OpenAI — and he's saying weird stuff in public again.]() *\Image: Martin Rauscher / Kevin Mazur via Getty for TIME / Futurism\* ## Term Limit Sam Altman is taking a victory lap after being [unsuccessfully ousted]() as CEO of OpenAI — and after his triumphant return, he's already back to saying [weird stuff]() in public again. As [*Bloomberg* reports](), Altman is again on the speech circuit and was quoted waxing prolific about the many ways he thinks artificial intelligence will "lift the world up." Weirdly, the now-famous CEO also said that he's fascinated with rogue AI in science fiction like the killer robots depicted in the "[Terminator]()" franchise, during his first public appearance since the so-called "[Turkey-Shoot Clusterfuck]()" just before Thanksgiving that saw OpenAI's board try and fail to stage a coup. "All those thoughts about the ways that this could go wrong, you don’t need much imagination because we grew up with that in the media," Altman said during a global forum hosted by the rights group Operation HOPE in Atlanta earlier this week. "That’s why we work so hard on safety. But we also believe you cannot build this safely in a vacuum." ## Safety Dance AI safety was, as some (but [not all]()) [suggest](), the impetus for Altman's ouster in the first place. While public statements have only indicated that three [since-resigned OpenAI board members]() accused him of dishonesty, [insider reports]() paint a [broader picture]() of [tensions]() between the CEO's push to create smarter and smarter AI and a smaller internal faction who believe the tech they're helping build [needs to be rolled out much more slowly](), to ensure it doesn't do bad things such as, for example, turning against humakind. Given the context, it's not a huge surprise that Altman is using this first post-coup appearance to address the elephant in the room that nearly saw him shunned from the company he helped build — though naturally, neither he nor anyone else involved has directly stated whether it was safety or anything else that led specifically to his [initial firing on November 17](). As before, the CEO also can't seem to make up his mind about whether he's [terrified of AI]() or thirsty for it. During the 35-minute Atlanta speech, he declared that OpenAI has "jumped into this tornado that has not stopped" but also insisted that he and his firm are the adults in the room who will make sure our future algorithmic overlords don't kill us all immediately. "This time it’s different," Altman said. "And it’s a little scary, to be sure." **More on OpenAI:** [*Business Insider's Parent Company Signs Deal With OpenAI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()