OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman publicly endorsed the concept of slowing down AI advancement on Sunday, arguing that frontier model development must not outpace humanity's capacity to maintain control. His remarks echoed similar language used by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, signaling growing alignment among industry leaders on this critical issue.

Altman acknowledged that shifting focus toward safety comes at a cost, yet he insisted that this price is worth paying to sustain public confidence in America's ability to develop increasingly powerful AI responsibly. "No matter how intense the competitive pressure on the United States becomes, it should not justify reckless actions, nor should capabilities advance ahead of alignment and oversight," Altman stated in a post on X. He further clarified that prioritizing safety does not equate to halting progress entirely.

"When we talk about 'slowing down,' we don't mean 'pressing pause," he wrote. The statement arrives shortly after a rare moment of consensus between Amodei and Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX and xAI, who have jointly called for a brake on AI acceleration.

Earlier this month, Altman reportedly told OpenAI employees that the startup is willing to decelerate its frontier technology rollout to better understand associated risks. He also confirmed the company will not pursue an initial public offering in 2026 and will prioritize safety-related initiatives moving forward.

Monday saw declines across Asian AI-linked equities. SoftBank Group, a major investor in OpenAI, tumbled 13 percent on the Japanese market, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both fell more than 4 percent in South Korea. In his Sunday X post, Altman reiterated OpenAI's support for a federal AI framework and noted that AI companies require U.S. assistance in facilitating international coordination.