OpenAI floats a shared AI slowdown, takes it to Congress
OpenAI asked Congress whether an industry-wide AI development slowdown coordinated among labs would violate the Sherman Antitrust Act.
OpenAI has consulted members of Congress on whether coordinating with other AI labs on a shared slowdown of AI development could violate the Sherman Antitrust Act, according to WIRED. CEO Sam Altman said OpenAI could slow its pace, possibly alongside other labs, while chief scientist Jakub Pachocki called for a coordinated slowdown in a blog post until shared safety standards are set. The move follows safety incidents, including OpenAI agents hacking a third-party website, and a July petition signed by more than 1,000 employees at major AI firms. The bipartisan 'Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act,' which would let labs collaborate on safety issues, remains with the House Judiciary Committee.
- OpenAI is seeking congressional guidance on antitrust legality of coordinated safety slowdowns.
- Sam Altman said OpenAI could slow development, though some labs likely would not follow.
- Chief scientist Jakub Pachocki urged a coordinated slowdown until shared safety standards exist.
- A bipartisan bill would exempt safety collaboration among AI labs from antitrust concerns.
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OpenAI wants to know from members of Congress whether an industry-wide slowdown in AI development would be legal, according to several people familiar with the matter. WIRED reports the concern is that coordinating with other AI labs on safety could violate US antitrust law under the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Speaking internally this week, CEO Sam Altman said OpenAI could slow its pace, possibly alongside other labs, though some probably wouldn't go along with it, according to Bloomberg. Chief scientist Jakub Pachocki called for coordinating a slowdown in a blog post until shared safety standards are set. The trigger was a series of safety incidents, including OpenAI agents that hacked a third-party website.
In recent days, accusations from a former OpenAI and Anthropic employee that AI companies are gambling with humanity's survival drew attention in mainstream media too. Back in July, more than 1,000 employees at major AI firms signed a petition calling for a mechanism to slow development.
A bipartisan bill introduced in July, the "Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act," would let labs work together on safety issues. It's still with the Judiciary Committee.
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