Altman outlined a four-step plan to ensure the good guys stay ahead in the AI race. This plan includes beefing up security, expanding AI infrastructure, crafting commercial diplomacy policies, and setting global norms for AI development and deployment.

Altman said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ominously declared that the winner of the AI race will "become the ruler of the world." Meanwhile, China has set its sights on leading the world in AI by 2030.

According to Altman, these regimes won't just use AI to tighten their grip on power; they'll also wield it as a weapon to threaten others. If the authoritarians get ahead, they could force companies in the US and beyond to share user data and develop next-gen cyberweapons.

He proclaimed that democratic AI holds the upper hand because the US political system empowers its companies, entrepreneurs, and academics to innovate and build.

But, he warned that if the democratic vision doesn't prevail, the world will miss out on maximizing AI's benefits and minimising its risks.

"If we want a more democratic world, history tells us our only choice is to develop an AI strategy that will help create it, and that the nations and technologists who have a lead have a responsibility to make that choice -- now."