Sam Altman Warns Against Treating AI Models as Deities or Surrendering Human Judgment

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman is actively pushing back against religious interpretations and spiritual analogies surrounding artificial intelligence, warning that vesting models with divine authority poses genuine risks.

Taking to X, Altman stated that it makes him "very uncomfortable" when people "ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models," labeling such tendencies as a "real safety issue."

Shifting Stances on AI and Faith

Altman’s recent remarks emerge amid broader industry engagement with faith-based communities. They follow a detailed report by The New York Times regarding rival AI lab Anthropic engaging in outreach to religious leaders, as well as comments from Pope Leo XIV declaring that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity."

OpenAI itself has previously held discussions with religious leaders. However, Altman's current skepticism marks a noticeable pivot from his own past rhetoric. In 2023 and 2024, the OpenAI leader frequently described the company's objective as constructing "magic intelligence in the sky." During the same period, Altman also commented that he hoped to be on God's side and felt "on the side of the angels" while advancing AI development.

Humanized Systems Versus Deification

While Altman is drawing a line against granting models religious or deified status, he continues to promote systems built with deep emotional and communicative resonance.

Altman has repeatedly pointed to the artificial intelligence portrayed in the science-fiction movie "Her" as his benchmark, advocating for deeply humanized interfaces. While creating companions with human-like conversational styles remains distinct from treating software as an infallible or divine intelligence, the boundary between building emotionally resonant machines and preventing users from abdicating human judgment to them remains a central challenge for AI safety.