Sam Altman's warning about ChatGPT: Why OpenAI CEO calls it 'bad and dangerous' for children
OpenAI
chief executive
Sam Altman
is hardly a doomsayer about his own creation, yet at a Federal Reserve banking forum, he drew a hard line: 'Something about collectively deciding we're going to live our lives the way AI tells us feels bad and dangerous.' He wasn't talking about rogue robots; he was talking about ordinary teenagers who now treat
ChatGPT
as a best friend, mentor, and life-coach all in one. Altman recounted young users who say, 'It knows me, it knows my friends — I'll just do what it says.' His comments land just as a Common Sense Media survey shows 72 percent of US teens have tried an AI companion and fully half 'somewhat' trust its advice. Altman's point is less about banning the tool than about guarding critical thinking before chatbots become an unseen operating system for growing minds.
Why Sam Altman thinks ChatGPT's heavy, personal reliance is risky
Altman's central worry is outsourced agency. A large language model predicts text; it does not feel consequences. When a 15-year-old hands over college choices or friendship drama to a probability engine, the teen's own reasoning muscles stay idle. Over time, that constant deferral can dull judgment, narrow curiosity, and leave the user vulnerable to any confident-sounding answer — correct or not. The OpenAI CEO called this pathway 'dangerous' precisely because it is subtle: the chatbot works so smoothly that dependency feels like convenience rather than loss.
The data behind the concern
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The 2025 Common Sense Media poll of 1,060 teens found that 72 percent have used AI companions in the past year, with more than half engaging daily. Fifty percent said they at least somewhat trust the information those bots provide, and 23 percent trust it 'quite a bit' or 'completely.' Younger teens were markedly more trusting than older peers. Researchers flagged that split as proof that adolescents may accept AI authority before they master scepticism.
How ChatGPT over-reliance shows up in everyday life
Psychologists who study digital habits outline several red flags:
Instant-answer reflex: Reaching for ChatGPT before trying to recall facts or brainstorm solutions.
Decision paralysis without the bot: Feeling anxious or 'blank' when forced to choose without AI input.
Erosion of peer dialogue: Preferring AI chats over friends when seeking advice, which shrinks real-world social feedback loops.
These patterns echo pre-smartphone research on GPS overuse: the brain offloads work, then loses skill through disuse.
Ways to keep ChatGPT in the toolbox, not the driver's seat
Altman's own company publishes user-safety guidelines, and independent educators add practical guardrails:
Use the three-source rule: Verify any factual or life advice via at least two non-AI references (books, experts, parents).
Time-box the session: Set a five-minute timer, gather inspiration, then return to pen-and-paper planning.
Keep human mentors in the loop: Share big decisions first with teachers, counsellors, or family.
Ask for explanations, not instructions — prompt the model to outline pros and cons so you can still weigh the choice.
These habits reinsert critical thinking without discarding the efficiency gains people like about generative AI.
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