OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi, emphasizing the urgency for comprehensive AI safety measures amid rapid advancements. He stated that the future of AI “won’t unfold in the way anyone predicted,” urging a rethink on safety integration.
Altman’s Key Consensus Point
Altman highlighted one area of universal agreement among AI leaders: “We need to think broadly on how we think about safety.” This aligns with PM Modi’s MANAV framework and calls from Sundar Pichai and others for ethical, human-centric AI governance. He stressed that safety must match capability growth, including features like lockdown mode for user assurance.
India’s AI Leadership Role
Altman praised India’s potential as a “full-stack AI leader” with talent, strategy, and optimism, announcing expanded partnerships for access, adoption, and agency. OpenAI plans government collaborations to deploy AI in education, healthcare, and nonprofits, training 200 leaders recently. At the summit with PM Modi and global CEOs, he forecasted AI reshaping economies, with India poised to define its future.
