Sam Altman on OpenAI's next model and the AI backlash

Playback speed × Share post Share post at current time 0:00 / Paid episode The full episode is only available to paid subscribers of Sources Subscribe to watch Sam Altman on OpenAI’s next model and the AI backlash OpenAI’s CEO on the need to slow down frontier research, Astra, competition with Anthropic, reaching AGI, and why people hate AI. Alex Heath Sep 01, 2026 3 1 Share After an unreleased OpenAI model recently escaped its sandbox and hacked Hugging Face, Sam Altman tells me why the company slowed parts of its frontier research and delayed a major reinforcement-learning run: “Getting AI safety right is more important than any company’s momentum.” We also discuss Astra, OpenAI’s next-generation family of models, which is… Sign up to keep reading Sources Start listening Already a subscriber? Sign in Sources with Alex Heath Sources features candid conversations with the leaders shaping what’s next in AI and the broader tech industry. Host Alex Heath has covered Silicon Valley as a journalist for more than a decade. He talks with founders, CEOs, and technologists about the news of the moment, the bets they’re making, and what they see coming next. Sources features candid conversations with the leaders shaping what’s next in AI and the broader tech industry. Host Alex Heath has covered Silicon Valley as a journalist for more than a decade. He talks with founders, CEOs, and technologists about the news of the moment, the bets they’re making, and what they see coming next. Subscribe Listen on Substack App Spotify RSS Feed Appears in episode Alex Heath Recent Episodes Trailer for the Sources podcast with Sam Altman 19 hrs ago • Alex Heath Meet the most AI-pilled CEO on Earth Jul 30 • Alex Heath This AI will push back if you're rude to it Jul 16 • Alex Heath The AI writing app fighting AI slop Jul 9 • Alex Heath This AI tells you what your friends won't Jun 24 • Alex Heath The billionaire paying AI researchers to stay out of Big Tech Jun 18 • Alex Heath A top iPhone app developer reacts to Apple's new Siri Jun 12 • Alex Heath