Altman says US-China AI safety deal could merit Nobel Peace Prize

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has suggested that a potential agreement between the United States and China on artificial intelligence safety could be significant enough to deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.

Speaking in a recent interview with Fortune, Altman proposed that the two leading AI powers could establish a basic framework to prevent companies from taking unacceptable levels of risk while developing increasingly powerful AI systems.

Rather than calling for a comprehensive treaty, Altman described a relatively simple agreement based on shared safety standards and testing procedures. He said Washington and Beijing should be able to agree on limits regarding the level of risk considered acceptable in AI development.

Altman suggested that common testing standards could form the foundation of such an arrangement. He characterised the proposal as relatively straightforward and said it could potentially be outlined in a short document.

The OpenAI chief acknowledged that the United States and China would continue competing in artificial intelligence. He argued that the rivalry was important for both economic and geopolitical reasons, but said competition did not necessarily have to prevent the two countries from cooperating on AI safety.

According to Altman, the two nations could maintain their strategic and technological competition while separately committing to measures designed to reduce risks associated with advanced artificial intelligence.

His comments came ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House on September 24. The meeting is expected to draw considerable attention because of the broader competition between Washington and Beijing over technology, trade and geopolitical influence.

Altman’s suggestion of a Nobel Peace Prize also carries a political dimension, given Trump’s publicly expressed interest in receiving the prestigious award.

The proposed AI safety cooperation would represent an unusual area of potential collaboration between the two countries, which are otherwise engaged in intense competition over advanced technologies and global influence.