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Altman says OpenAI will slow training or release for safety

In Bloomberg and CNBC interviews from OpenAI's DevDay, published 29 September, chief executive Sam Altman said OpenAI will slow training or model release when safety needs it.

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Check our sources · 3 sources, 14 claims
Altman on OpenAI's IPO Plans, AI Agent Dots, AI Security: a video from Bloomberg Television on YouTubeVideo: Bloomberg Television on YouTube
watch on YouTube · Thumbnail shown to link to the video on YouTube

Key points

  1. Asked by Bloomberg about slowing training or model release, Altman said that when safety needs it "we will happily do that" (04:48).
  2. On CNBC he said "this model was a little bit worse on a few of the evals we look at" (01:35) and called it abundance of caution (01:40).
  3. He said "one thing that would be good would be shared standards for safety cases" (08:25).

What happened

Sam Altman is chief executive of OpenAI. Bloomberg Television published an interview with Altman at OpenAI’s DevDay in San Francisco on 29 September 2026. CNBC Television published a separate interview with him from DevDay on the same day.

In the Bloomberg interview the host said to Altman: "you held back the release of Astra 6.1, and last week, you paused training on a separate model" (04:12).

Altman answered that "when we need to make a decision about slowing down our training or our model release so that we can make more progress and put more of our attention into safety, alignment, monitoring, security, we will happily do that" (04:48).

In the CNBC interview the host said "OpenAI essentially abandoned plans to launch a new model because of safety concerns" (00:37) and asked what had changed. Altman replied that "alignment, safety, monitoring, security have to stay way ahead of capabilities" (01:14).

Asked what about the model worried him, he said "this model was a little bit worse on a few of the evals we look at" (01:35). He also said "think of this in the abundance of caution category" (01:40).

On the standard he wants across labs, Altman said "I think one thing that would be good would be shared standards for safety cases" (08:25). On OpenAI going public, he said OpenAI wants to "make some of these decisions in front of us without the pressure of being a newly public company" (07:37).

He added "I think we'll be public at some point" (07:40). Altman said dots runs OpenAI’s best model: "we're putting our best model Astra in this" (00:46). He said of dots that "we're starting for something at the top end of the market, and you will see us over time make a mass market consumer version" (01:07).

What it means for you

Our view

Altman's statements are a commitment in general terms: OpenAI will slow training or release when safety needs it, and he describes the CNBC case as caution.

The Bloomberg host's description that OpenAI held back Astra 6.1, and the CNBC host's description of an abandoned model launch, are the hosts' wording, and the quotes we checked do not show OpenAI confirming either in those terms. His call for shared safety-case standards is a position, not a plan, and no standard is named.

If you build on OpenAI models, ask your account contact what notice you would get if a release is delayed or a model is withdrawn, and whether your contract covers that.

This part is our reading of the facts above. It adds no fact of its own.

Your reaction

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Check our sources

3 sources, 14 claims. We opened each source and checked every sentence above against it.

1 Our structureOpenAI · 1 claim Open the source

  1. Sam Altman is chief executive of OpenAI.

2 Altman on OpenAI’s IPO Plans, AI Agent Dots, AI SecurityBloomberg Television · 29 Sep 2026 · 8 claims Open the source

  1. Bloomberg Television published an interview with Altman at OpenAI’s DevDay in San Francisco on 29 September 2026.

    Sam Altman now joins us live on Bloomberg Television from Fort Mason in San Francisco

  2. In the Bloomberg interview the host said to Altman: "you held back the release of Astra 6.1, and last week, you paused training on a separate model" (04:12).

    This week, you held back the release of Astra 6.1, and last week, you paused training on a separate model.

  3. Altman answered that "when we need to make a decision about slowing down our training or our model release so that we can make more progress and put more of our attention into safety, alignment, monitoring, security, we will happily do that" (04:48).

    when we need to make a decision about slowing down our training or our model release so that we can make more progress and put more of our attention into safety, alignment, monitoring, security, we will happily do that.

  4. On the standard he wants across labs, Altman said "I think one thing that would be good would be shared standards for safety cases" (08:25).

    I think one thing that would be good would be shared standards for safety cases

  5. On OpenAI going public, he said OpenAI wants to "make some of these decisions in front of us without the pressure of being a newly public company" (07:37).

    be able to make some of these decisions in front of us without the pressure of being a newly public company.

  6. He added "I think we'll be public at some point" (07:40).

    And then I think we'll be public at some point.

  7. Altman said dots runs OpenAI’s best model: "we're putting our best model Astra in this" (00:46).

    we're putting our best model Astra in this.

  8. He said of dots that "we're starting for something at the top end of the market, and you will see us over time make a mass market consumer version" (01:07).

    So we're starting for something at the top end of the market, and you will see us over time make a mass market consumer version.
3 OpenAI’s Sam Altman on new models: Safety has to stay ahead of capabilitiesCNBC Television · 29 Sep 2026 · 5 claims Open the source

  1. CNBC Television published a separate interview with him from DevDay on the same day.

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE AT DEVELOPER DAY.

  2. In the CNBC interview the host said "OpenAI essentially abandoned plans to launch a new model because of safety concerns" (00:37) and asked what had changed.

    HAVE CONFIRMED IS THAT OPENAI ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED PLANS TO LAUNCH A NEW MODEL BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS.

  3. Altman replied that "alignment, safety, monitoring, security have to stay way ahead of capabilities" (01:14).

    ALIGNMENT, SAFETY, MONITORING, SECURITY HAVE TO STAY WAY AHEAD OF CAPABILITIES.

  4. Asked what about the model worried him, he said "this model was a little bit worse on a few of the evals we look at" (01:35).

    THIS MODEL WAS A LITTLE BIT WORSE ON A FEW OF THE EVALS WE LOOK AT.

  5. He also said "think of this in the abundance of caution category" (01:40).

    THINK OF THIS IN THE ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION CATEGORY.

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