OpenAI chief Sam Altman accused of ‘blackmail’ in EU dispute

The European Union on Thursday accused the boss of OpenAI, the firm that created the explosively popular ChatGPT bot, of “blackmail” by suggesting that new rules would force his company to leave the bloc.

Sam Altman told reporters in London that OpenAI could potentially “cease operating” in Europe if the bloc pushed ahead with its long-awaited AI Act, a regulation designed to protect the public from the technology.

Altman is in the middle of a global tour to charm leaders and powerbrokers from Lagos to London, but his comments appeared to anger EU industry commissioner Thierry Breton.