OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sits for a conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff at Salesforce's Dreamforce conference at the Moscone Center on September 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Photo by BENJAMIN FANJOY / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
OpenAI’s Sam Altman will pitch the idea of creating global AI standards when he speaks at the United Nations on Wednesday, positioning himself as a centrist on the question of whether to slow down the technology’s progress.
Altman, the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer, is set to appear in person at a UN Security Council session, where diplomats will gather to discuss artificial intelligence. Dario Amodei, head of OpenAI rival Anthropic PBC, will join by video feed.
The OpenAI leader will take the role of “pragmatic centrist” by promoting common AI safety standards without holding back innovation or concentrating too much power in the hands of a few companies, representatives for the company said in a briefing ahead of Altman’s speech.
The meeting takes place on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly debate in New York. A major theme this year is the fear of AI run amok - concerns stoked by an Anthropic researcher quitting in protest earlier this month.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered a speech on Tuesday warning of AI’s dangers and calling for global cooperation. President Donald Trump, making his own remarks soon afterward, dismissed the idea as a “globalist scheme.”
In response to a question about Trump’s comments, OpenAI spokespeople said that the company isn’t endorsing any specific international regulatory body. Instead, OpenAI is advocating for basic standards around AI safety - and for democratic control. The various international AI safety institutes could be involved, they said.
The United Nations also could play a role in conversations about standards and each country may come up with different approaches through democratic means, the OpenAI spokespeople said.
Altman first discussed the idea of a US-led, global body in July, and most recently laid out the ideas for such a network in a blog post earlier this week.
Anthropic didn’t respond to a request for comment about what Amodei will say at the meeting.
