"I am very uncomfortable about people trying to ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, and think it is a real safety issue," Altman said in a post on X on Saturday." />
WorldPosted at: Oct 4 2026 7:07PM


OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticises Anthropic work on 'AI soul', says efforts ascribing spiritual models pose a 'real safety issue'

San Francisco, Oct 4 (UNI) OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a veiled jab at Anthropic and its work on the "soul of AI", has said that efforts to give artificial intelligence models of religious or spiritual significance make him "very uncomfortable."
"I am very uncomfortable about people trying to ascribe religious force or a surrender of human judgment to AI models, and think it is a real safety issue," Altman said in a post on X on Saturday.
His comments come after reports emerged that Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah has been consulting religious leaders about questions regarding AI consciousness, as well as ways to code moral behaviour into AI models.
The New York Times reported that Olah had considered whether models could engage in a form of Catholic-style confession, not only to acknowledge mistakes but potentially to influence their future behaviour.
Olah had also reportedly met religious scholars from different faiths and, ahead of a Vatican event in May, sought to persuade the pope's advisers to take the possibility of conscious AI models more seriously.
The issue has emerged as a growing point of debate within the AI industry, with researchers questioning whether increasingly capable models could possess consciousness, feelings or some form of moral standing.
Altman's comments also follow remarks by Pope Leo XIV, who has been increasingly critical of AI and called on the Church to work with artists to ensure protection of human creativity from AI, saying that "algorithms lack the spark of humanity".
Other prominent AI researchers have also criticised efforts to elevate the moral status of AI systems.
"I am disturbed by how some of my fellow AI researchers keep trying to elevate the moral standing of checkpoints and harnesses," Google DeepMind principal research scientist Jon Barron posted on X.
"I hope the rest of us on Team Meatbag reject this movement and stay focused on solving real problems and helping actual humans."
Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic immediately responded to requests for comment on Altman's post.
AI safety discussions have largely focused on risks including cybersecurity and biological weapons, though the increasing debate over consciousness and moral status is leading to the emergence of another, paving the way for more philosophical questions about the future role of AI.
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