Superintelligence soon? OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicts advanced AI could arrive within a few years

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a striking prediction about the near-term future of artificial intelligence, suggesting that early forms of superintelligence could appear within just a few years. Speaking at a public forum in India, Altman said, “By the end of 2028, more of the world's intellectual capacity could reside inside data centers than outside them.”

Altman, speaking at the AI Impact Summit, highlighted the rapid progress of AI systems. Under his leadership, OpenAI launched ChatGPT and reshaped global conversations about artificial intelligence.

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“We've gone from AI systems that struggle with high school-level math to systems that can do research-level mathematics and derive novel results in theoretical physics,” he said.

He also praised India’s role in AI development, noting the country’s efforts to put AI to work broadly and inclusively. “One in 100 million people in India uses ChatGPT every week. More than a third of them are students. India is also the fastest-growing market now for Codex, our coding agent that helps people develop software faster and better,” Altman said.

He underscored the unique position of India, “India, the world's largest democracy, is well-positioned to lead in AI -- not just to build it, but to shape it and decide what our future is going to look like.”

Altman described the potential impact of superintelligence on society and the economy. “A superintelligence, at some point on its development curve, would be capable of doing a better job as CEO of a major company than any executive could, or certainly doing better research than our best scientists,” he said, emphasising both the promise and the uncertainty of these systems.

He outlined three guiding principles for OpenAI’s approach to AI development. First, democratisation of AI: “Democratisation of AI is the only fair and safe path forward. The future…has got to look like a world of liberty, democracy, widespread flourishing, and an increase in human agency. Some people want effective totalitarianism in exchange for a cure for cancer. I don't think we should accept that trade-off, nor do I think we need to.”

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Second, AI resilience: “We need a society-wide approach for how we're going to defend against risks, such as extremely capable bio models that could help people create new pathogens. No AI lab, no AI system can deliver a good future on its own.”

Third, broad societal involvement: “The future of AI is not going to unfold exactly like anyone predicts…Most of the important discoveries happen when technology and society meet. Sometimes there is friction, and we co-evolve.” Altman highlighted uncertainties around AI in governance, warfare, and global social contracts, stressing the need for debate and preparedness.

A key part of OpenAI’s strategy is iterative deployment, giving society time to integrate and respond to each new level of AI capability. Altman argued this method has allowed people to use and understand AI safely while preparing for more advanced systems.

He also addressed the economic implications: AI could make many products and services cheaper and accelerate growth, while also disrupting existing jobs. “As AI can do more and more of the things that drive our economy today, it'll be very hard to outwork a GPU in many ways -- but easier in some other ways. Technology always disrupts jobs. We always find new and better things to do.”

Altman framed the development of AI as a generational challenge: “Each generation builds on the work of previous generations, and with new tools, the scaffolding gets taller…It is a moral imperative to make sure our great-great-grandchildren can have the same opportunities. Technology, and especially AI, is how we're going to get there for a democratic AI future.”

He concluded with a warning about global governance: “The next few years will test global society. As this technology continues to improve at a rapid pace, we can choose to either empower people or concentrate power…something like the IAEA may be needed for international coordination of AI, especially to rapidly respond to changes in circumstances.”