OpenAI Leaders Call for Slowing AI Development as SoftBank Shares Fall

In September 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman publicly called for pacing the development of artificial intelligence, with Brockman saying any pause should focus on frontier systems. Altman warned about the risks of losing control of the future and called for a legal framework to regulate AI, describing potential outcomes as extremely dystopian.

SoftBank, a major OpenAI investor, saw its shares plunge about 11% after OpenAI said it would not hold an IPO this year. Asian shares also declined. SoftBank had arranged an upsized $11.9 billion loan as part of its funding push for OpenAI. Separately, Trump privately met with Altman at the GOP convention, according to MS Now.