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OpenAI's Sam Altman pushes back on religious framing of AI, calling it a safety issue

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OpenAI's Sam Altman pushes back on religious framing of AI, calling it a safety issue

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is pushing back against religious analogies tied to AI models. He says it makes him "very uncomfortable" when people "ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models," and he calls this a "real safety issue."

According to The Decoder, his comments follow a detailed New York Times report on Anthropic's outreach to religious leaders and a statement from Pope Leo XIV that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity."

The Decoder points to a tension with Altman's own past language. It says he stated in 2023 and 2024 that OpenAI's goal was to build "magic intelligence in the sky." It also reports that in the same period he said he hoped to be on God's side and felt "on the side of the angels" working on AI. OpenAI, the outlet adds, has also talked with religious leaders.

The Decoder also notes that Altman has said repeatedly that his goal is AI on the level of the sci-fi movie "Her," meaning deeply humanized. In the outlet's view that is different from ascribing consciousness or religious meaning to the models themselves. It closes with a wry remark: whether this kind of spiritual talk is much more trustworthy is up to the reader. The headline's "Apparently" is the outlet's own inference about OpenAI's direction, not an announced change of goal.

Key facts

  • Sam Altman says he is "very uncomfortable" when people ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, and calls it a "real safety issue."
  • The Decoder says his remarks follow a New York Times report on Anthropic's outreach to religious leaders and Pope Leo XIV's statement that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity."
  • The Decoder recalls that Altman said in 2023 and 2024 that OpenAI's goal was to build "magic intelligence in the sky," and that he said he hoped to be on God's side.
  • OpenAI has also talked with religious leaders, and Altman has repeatedly said he wants AI as humanized as in the film "Her."

Why it matters

The head of one of the best-known AI labs is publicly treating religious deference to AI as a safety problem, not just a matter of style. The Decoder sets this against Altman's earlier talk of "magic intelligence in the sky" and of being "on the side of the angels," so the remarks read as a shift in how he frames the technology. The outlet is careful to separate his "Her" ambition, a deeply humanized AI, from attributing consciousness or religious meaning to the models.

Who it affects

The remarks speak to anyone who uses or builds AI models and may be tempted to hand over judgment to them, and to the labs and religious leaders now in conversation. The Decoder names Anthropic, whose outreach to religious leaders was covered by the New York Times, and notes that OpenAI has also talked with religious leaders.

How to use it

There is nothing to install or adopt here. The practical takeaway is Altman's stated principle: AI models should not be treated as religious forces, and human judgment should not be surrendered to them. Readers weighing AI output can take that as a prompt to keep their own judgment in the loop.

How solid is it

The piece is a short news item from The Decoder built on Altman's remarks. The quotes are given as quotes. The Decoder's reading, that OpenAI is "apparently" no longer pursuing "magic intelligence in the sky," is the outlet's inference; the source does not say OpenAI has officially changed its goal. The date, venue or medium of Altman's latest remarks is not given.

Risks and caveats

The source does not say what the New York Times report found beyond its covering Anthropic's outreach to religious leaders, nor when or in what context Pope Leo XIV spoke. It does not say who Altman was addressing or whether he named Anthropic. It is also ambiguous which year the God's-side and angels remarks were made, 2023 or 2024. The Decoder itself closes with a sceptical note: whether this kind of spiritual talk is much more trustworthy is up to the reader.

“ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models”

— Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO, on what makes him "very uncomfortable", as quoted by The Decoder