OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spoken about the idea of superintelligence and how it needs to be democratised, a motto that has been in wide discussion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. In an interview with Anant Goenka, Executive Director of The Indian Express Group, Altman emphasised that no single country should dominate the development or control of AI superintelligence. He went on to warn that the concentration of AI superintelligence in one country’s hands could lead to severe risks.
“The world is at its best when there is a balance of power, where all countries keep each other in check,” Altman said. “You don’t want one AI in charge of the world, no matter who has it. You can imagine a world where AI massively concentrates power, where a country can use AI to amass power and wealth,” he added.
He then presented a contrast of a dystopian scenario with the opposite extreme – unchecked access to superintelligence for everyone without regulations, which he described as leading to “chaos.” Altman, however, expressed optimism about a middle path, stating, “I personally think there will be democratisation of AI, it is possible to put AI in everyone’s hands while having guardrails.”
Geopolitical risks and the path to democratisation of AI
Altman’s comments come amid accelerating global AI competition, with nations like the US, China, and others racing toward advanced systems. In the interview, Altman stressed that there is a high-stakes race to build the most intelligent AI model and while that could have transformative potential, it also creates new kinds of dangers, especially creating a hypothetical AI surpassing human intelligence across all domains. In recent remarks at the India AI Impact Summit, he predicted early versions could emerge within a couple of years, with more intellectual capacity residing in data centers than humans by the end of 2028.
Altman also stated that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is only a few years away and the world needs to be ready for different kind of arrangement.
By advocating for distributed control and safeguards, Altman echoed calls for international governance mechanisms to oversee AI’s most powerful capabilities. He argued that concentrating superintelligence in one entity or country, even for safety reasons, would be “disastrously bad.”
Context from Express Adda discussion
The Express Adda session, held in New Delhi on the sidelines of the ongoing global AI Impact Summit, covered broader topics including AI’s impact on jobs, India’s role in the AI landscape, and the future of work. Altman praised India’s energy and potential in AI development, noting the country’s scale, speed, and talent as key drivers.