Sam Altman Compares Next-Gen AI to a ‘Genie’ That Could Solve Humanity’s Biggest Problems

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says Next-Gen AI Could Become a ‘Genie’ for Humanity

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes artificial intelligence is on the verge of a major leap, describing its future potential as “a genie that can grant any wish.” Speaking on the Relentless podcast, Altman said the company is getting closer to developing advanced AI assistants capable of tackling some of humanity’s biggest challenges, while emphasizing that humans will remain responsible for deciding how such systems are used.

Altman said OpenAI’s goal is not just to build more capable AI models but to ensure they are deployed safely and in ways that broadly benefit society.

“We are close to creating the genie that can grant any wish. We are going to make sure that our first wish is to broadly benefit humanity and get the world to a place where a lot more people get to have a lot more wishes,” Altman said. “The space of what you can wish for is incredibly big and creative, and it’ll be quite exciting to figure that out with real human values and preferences.”

He said increasingly powerful AI could transform the way people solve complex problems by handling tasks that once seemed impossible.

“You start making these wishes, the computer grants them, and then you’re like, ‘I didn’t think that was going to work. What now?’ It’s a weird feeling,” he added.

According to Altman, the next generation of AI will move well beyond chatbots and text generation. Future systems could independently conduct research, analyze enormous datasets, assist with complex decision-making, and significantly accelerate scientific and engineering breakthroughs.

Altman has repeatedly argued that one of AI’s most important milestones will be its ability to speed up scientific discovery. He believes advanced AI could help researchers solve problems far more quickly than humans alone—from designing more efficient semiconductor chips to accelerating drug discovery and driving innovations across medicine, engineering, and other scientific fields.

While optimistic about AI’s potential, Altman has consistently maintained that the technology must be developed responsibly, with strong safeguards and human oversight to ensure its benefits are widely shared.