The chief executive of ChatGPT operator OpenAI is “quite optimistic” about global coordination over artificial intelligence (AI).

OpenAI chief exec Sam Altman has been visiting capital cities around the world following the increasing interest in AI and mounting scrutiny of generative AI tech from regulators.

Speaking to students in Toyo via Reuters, Altman said: "I came to the trip ... sceptical that it was going to be possible in the short term to get global cooperation to reduce existential risk but I am now wrapping up the trip feeling quite optimistic we can get it done.”

During an earlier trip to Japan in April, Altman met with prime minister Fumio Kishida and said he would like to open an office in the country. He added that Japan has a long history of machines and people working together.

Earlier this month, Japan’s privacy watchdog told OpenAI not to gather sensitive data from users of ChatGPT without their permission. The Personal Information Protection Commission said that OpenAI should limit the amount of information it collects for machine learning, adding that it may make take action if it has further concerns.

At a recent conference in Abu Dhabi, Altman said that OpenAI will not become a listed company and that the company does not want to be sued by the public market or Wall Street.

"When we develop super intelligence, we are likely to make some decisions that most investors would look at very strangely," Altman said.

The company started as a non-profit organisation, before moving to a structure which allowed it to raise funding from external investors whilst ensuring the original non-profit organisation still benefits. It now counts Microsoft as one of its major backers.

Elsewhere, the UK government has announced plans to hold a global AI summit in the autumn. The summit, which will see ‘like-minded’ countries descend on London, will look at developing an international framework to ensure the safe and reliable development and use of AI.

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