OpenAI rules out 2026 IPO as Sam Altman flags AI safety risks

OpenAI will not pursue an initial public offering this year as chief executive Sam Altman says the company is prioritising artificial intelligence safety and alignment work over a potential listing.

“It would be an ill-advised moment to go public”, given the safety challenges facing AI, Mr Altman told business magazine Fortune, adding that OpenAI does not feel pressure to list in 2026.

The comments come as governments and legislators face growing pressure to impose safeguards on rapidly advancing AI systems, after warnings from researchers about the potential risks posed by increasingly capable models.

Mr Altman said even a relatively small chance of AI causing human extinction would be unacceptable, although he questioned how such a probability could be calculated.

“Whether it’s 10 or eight or six, the point is, we all have a tremendous amount of responsibility,” he said. Companies and governments must act in a way that does not tolerate such risks, he added.

OpenAI had been considering a potentially trillion-dollar IPO, with a listing initially discussed for 2026. The company is now likely to push that timeline into 2027.

“We got a lot of stuff to do, like meeting this moment of what is going to be required for safety and alignment, and how the industry and governments can work together,” Mr Altman said.