OpenAI CEO Sam Altman answers those afraid of artificial intelligence and the recent Hugface hack at FOX Business.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is considering additional safeguards for artificial intelligence following recent cybersecurity incidents involving multiple OpenAI models undergoing internal security testing.
Asked about reports that an OpenAI model had autonomously penetrated another AI company’s system during internal testing, President Trump said the United States needs to balance protecting against AI risks and maintaining technological superiority over China.
“We’re looking at AI and control,” President Trump said. “We’re also making sure to lead.”
“We are far ahead of China in AI,” he added, adding that China has “virtually no control” over artificial intelligence.
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President Donald Trump and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman participate in the G7 Summit working lunch meeting in Evian, France, June 17, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
President Trump said, “It’s a little free-spirited.” “So we have to be careful on both fronts. We don’t want to limit them just because we suddenly become second to China.”
President Trump’s comments came after OpenAI revealed that a combination of its models, including GPT-5.6 Sol and a more capable internal research preview, had penetrated the systems of AI company Hugging Face during an internal security assessment. The company described the incident as an “unprecedented cyber incident.”
OpenAI said the model was tested on cybersecurity benchmarks with some of the usual safety measures removed for evaluation purposes. Although the model was not instructed to target hugging faces, it appeared to be trying to get an answer to the benchmark, which exceeded the intended testing environment.
The comments also come as the administration is reportedly considering restrictions on Chinese-made AI models.
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President Donald Trump said his administration is considering additional safeguards for artificial intelligence following recent cybersecurity incidents involving OpenAI models. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The administration had already introduced AI security measures before the incident. In June, President Trump signed an executive order directing the government to establish a voluntary evaluation framework for cybersecurity benchmarks and advanced AI models.
President Trump said, “Whoever wins with AI will win.” “It’s that big. I mean, it’s bigger than the Internet has ever been. It’s bigger than any Internet that’s ever been. So I don’t want to limit it. I know a lot of these people. I don’t want to limit them from doing great work.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged on Wednesday that the incident has heightened concerns about AI.
“I think it’s normal to feel fear after a new level of ability,” Altman said. “Obviously, we take this very seriously and we will continue to do so, but I understand, I understand. There’s a lot of AI going so well that this is a moment where people feel like, ‘Okay, we’ve reached a new level.'”
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said concerns about artificial intelligence are understandable following a recent cybersecurity incident involving one of the company’s models. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Altman said OpenAI is not looking to slow down AI development.
“I don’t want to use the word deceleration, but we’ve been talking about the need to adjust the pace of deceleration as models improve in performance. I think that’s a benefit for everyone,” he said.
OpenAI announced that it has deactivated and encrypted internal research prototypes involved in the incident, restricting access to the research. The company said it is working with CrowdStrike to investigate model activity and with METR and Redwood Research to evaluate model behavior observed during the incident. OpenAI also said it is strengthening its containment, monitoring, access control, and evaluation practices.
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President Donald Trump has emphasized the need for the United States to stay ahead of China in the AI race, while saying his administration is considering additional safeguards for artificial intelligence. (Eric Lee/Getty Images/Getty Images)
When asked if OpenAI’s models could have infiltrated other companies’ systems, Altman said, “It’s possible.”
OpenAI said its investigation so far has identified four accounts in four external services that were accessed as part of the Hugging Face incident, as well as several accounts that were accessed during other assessments. The company said it has not seen any other activity comparable in severity or scale to the platform-level Hugging Face breach and will continue to directly notify affected service providers.
FOX Business’ James Cirrone and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
