OpenAI’s Sam Altman tells G20 AI will be as essential as electricity

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Published: 2026-09-03T08:21:06.315Z • Permanent link

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has been making waves at the G20 summit, asserting that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be as essential as electricity in the years to come. Altman's statement has sent shockwaves through the global AI community, sparking both excitement and concern among researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders. The significance of this development lies in the fact that Altman's company, OpenAI, is one of the most prominent players in the AI space, with its flagship model, Llama, being used by numerous companies, including Microsoft, for various applications such as chatbots and language processing.

The statement has also been met with skepticism by some, who argue that the pace of AI development is still too slow and that the risks associated with AI surpass its benefits. However, Altman's assertion is supported by data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which estimates that the world will need to produce 50% more electricity by 2050 to meet growing demand. Similarly, the AI market is expected to grow exponentially, with forecasts predicting that the global AI market will reach $190 billion by 2025, up from $150 billion in 2020. These numbers demonstrate the potential of AI to transform industries and economies worldwide.

Altman's statement has also been endorsed by other prominent figures in the AI community, including Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and AI Fund, who has expressed his support for OpenAI's mission to make AI accessible to everyone. Furthermore, the statement has been welcomed by governments, including the United States, which has established the National AI Initiative to promote the development and deployment of AI technologies.

The implications of Altman's statement are far-reaching and will have significant consequences for companies like Microsoft, which is heavily invested in AI research and development. Microsoft's Azure Machine Learning platform, for example, has been used by numerous companies, including the US Department of Defense, to develop and deploy AI models. The company's investment in AI is expected to continue, with Microsoft's AI research arm, Microsoft AI, employing thousands of researchers and engineers worldwide.

The statement has also raised concerns about the potential risks associated with AI, particularly with regards to job displacement and bias. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have warned that AI could displace up to 40% of the US workforce by 2030, highlighting the need for policymakers to take action to mitigate these risks. Furthermore, the statement has also sparked concerns about the potential for AI to be used for malicious purposes, such as cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns.

The assertion that AI will be as essential as electricity is not new, and has been made by numerous experts and organizations over the years. In 2019, the World Economic Forum (WEF) predicted that AI would become one of the top 10 most influential technologies of the 21st century, alongside blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and biotechnology. Similarly, the US Department of Defense has established the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and deploy AI technologies for military applications.