Sam Altman Warns Against Treating AI as Religious Force

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that treating artificial intelligence as a religious force or surrendering human judgment to AI models constitutes a real safety issue. Altman issued the warning on X after reports emerged that Anthropic cofounder Chris Olah held secret meetings with religious leaders to discuss whether the AI model Claude has achieved consciousness and how to instill morality into autonomous systems.

An Anthropic spokesperson told The New York Times that these discussions likely arose organically. The exchange highlights ongoing tension between OpenAI and Anthropic as the industry grapples with the ethical implications of autonomous systems. Other major technology firms, including Meta, Google, and Amazon, have also engaged with religious figures to discuss the intersection of faith and technology.

Among these figures is Pope Leo XIV, who cautioned against overreliance on machines. The Pope argued that there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment to avoid losing humanity in a paradise of machines.