The boss of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says people should have more faith in AI firms to keep the tech safe, amid rising public concerns about the risks.
Altman's comments on Tuesday came during an appearance at an annual conference hosted by software firm Salesforce.
In an interview with Axios published on 3 September, external, Altman said he had expected Congress to create a "basic framework" for advanced AI after his 2023 testimony, but that has yet to happen.
New safety legislation on AI is unlikely to emerge from the US Congress anytime soon, despite the fact lawmakers returned from their summer break on Monday.
Altman's comments on Tuesday were the first time he had spoken publicly since a post went viral last week by a researcher who quit the AI firm Anthropic.
After Altman's comments, Mark Zuckerberg wrote on X, external that every AI firm had the ability and the incentive "to take its own actions" towards safety.
Bernie Sanders said decisions about AI had been left to "a handful of the richest people in the world", while former White House strategist Steve Bannon said the public could not trust tech oligarchs to regulate themselves.
Nvidia boss Jensen Huang said at the same conference on Tuesday that AI firms should decide if new versions of the technology should be released - and not be managed by outside forces.
"We don't need new laws or regulations," he said, adding there should not be a "false choice" between the speed of innovation and the safety of AI products.