Sam Altman Pushes Back on Religious Analogies for AI

Religious Analogies and AI Safety

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

Altman's objection concerns the language used around AI, particularly the idea that models have religious force or that people surrender human judgment to them. This concern is distinct from claims that AI models possess consciousness or carry religious meaning.

Earlier Ambitions for Humanlike AI

His comments contrast with earlier public descriptions of OpenAI's goal. Altman said in 2023 and 2024 that OpenAI's goal was to build "magic intelligence in the sky." In the same year, he said he hoped to be on God's side and felt "on the side of the angels" while working on AI.

Altman has also said repeatedly that his goal is AI at the level of the sci-fi film "Her," meaning deeply humanized AI. That ambition is different from ascribing consciousness or religious meaning to the models themselves. Whether this kind of spiritual talk is more trustworthy is left for readers to assess.

OpenAI and Religious Leaders

OpenAI has also talked with religious leaders. The reported Anthropic outreach, Pope Leo XIV's statement and OpenAI's discussions with religious leaders place the issue in a broader religious context. Altman's comments focus on the risk of ascribing religious force to models or surrendering human judgment to them, which he describes as a real safety issue.