Sam Altman on Trump’s Understanding of AI

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently expressed admiration for former President Donald Trump, noting that Trump grasps the significance of artificial intelligence for the economy and global affairs—a sentiment he can’t extend to every other president. “He really gets it,” Altman remarked.

During a conversation with Casey Newton, who hosts the Hard Fork podcast, Altman reflected on his discussions with Trump. When Newton asked about those conversations, it got a laugh from the audience, yet Newton clarified that it was not meant to be humorous.

Altman elaborated, “He really got it,” reinforcing his belief that Trump understands technology in a way that not all leaders do. He pinpointed Trump’s recognition of the necessity for strong leadership in technology, its economic implications, and its geopolitical importance, also stressing the need for extensive infrastructure development.

The CEO highlighted that his meetings with Trump were constructive, stating, “They were a very productive conversation.” He credited Trump with making significant contributions to the industry.

Altman pointed out that it has become simpler to operate data centers and to harness new energy for them, a scenario that could have easily gone another way.

Since Trump’s inauguration this January, Altman has maintained an active role in discussions with him. Notably, just a day after Trump began his second term, it was announced that Altman, along with Larry Ellison, CTO of Oracle, and Masayoshi Son, CEO of Softbank, would collaborate to invest $5 trillion in AI infrastructure within the U.S. Trump referred to this initiative as “the biggest AI infrastructure project in history.”

Last month, Altman defended the multi-billion-dollar AI partnerships brokered by Trump between U.S. firms and Gulf countries, dismissing critics as “naive.”