The Oppenheirmer of Our Age

Sam Altman insists the artificial intelligence he is creating could destroy civilization even as he hastens its advancement. Do we know enough about him?

- Elizabeth Weil

THIS PAST SPRING, SAM ALTMAN, the 38-year-old CEO of OpenAl, sat down with Silicon Valley's favorite Buddhist monk, Jack Kornfield. This was at Wisdom 2.0, a low-stakes event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a forum dedicated to merging wisdom and "the great technologies of our age." The two men occupied huge white upholstered chairs on a dark mandala-backed stage. Even the moderator seemed confused by Altman's presence.

"What brought you here?" he asked.

"Yeah, um, look," Altman said. "I'm definitely interested in this topic"-officially, mindfulness and AI. "But, ah, meeting Jack has been one of the great joys of my life. I'd be delighted to come hang out with Jack for literally any topic."

It was only when Kornfield-who is 78 and whose books, including The Wise Heart, have sold more than a million copies-made his introductory remarks that the agenda became clear.

"My experience is that Sam ... the language I'd like to use is that he's very much a servant leader." Kornfield was here to testify to the excellence of Altman's character. He would answer the question that's been plaguing a lot of us: How safe should we feel with Altman, given that this relatively young man in charcoal Chelsea boots and a gray waffle henley appears to be controlling how AI will enter our world?

Kornfield said he had known Altman for several years. They meditated together. They explored the question: How could Altman "build in values-the bodhisattva vows, to care for all beings"? How could compassion and care "be programmed in in some way, in the deepest way?"