OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that the company will not go public during the current year, attributing this to growing concerns regarding the safety of artificial intelligence.
Altman said, in an interview with Fortune magazine published on Saturday, that going public with the company “at the present time would be an inappropriate decision” in light of what is happening in terms of the safety of artificial intelligence, adding that the company does not feel pressured to do so.
When asked if an IPO was out of the company's calculations for 2026, Altman replied: "I would say yes, not in 2026. We have a lot of things to do."
OpenAI has not announced an official date for offering its shares on the market.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is competing with Anthropic to become two companies listed on the public markets. The two companies have submitted confidential IPO documents to US regulators, and are targeting valuations approaching a trillion dollars.
The New York Times reported in June that OpenAI was inclined to postpone its launch until next year.
In another sign of mounting concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Saturday called on artificial intelligence companies to slow the pace of development of advanced technology.
“We must slow the pace at which we develop the capabilities of artificial intelligence models,” Amodei said in a post on his personal website, adding that progress will remain rapid, but slowing the pace will give the sector time to make wiser decisions.
Altman and Elon Musk, owner of XAI, supported Amodei's assessment of the need to slow down the pace of AI development.
These statements came days after artificial intelligence researcher Jacob Cookson left the sector, following his move from Open AI to Anthropic, due to safety concerns.
Coxon had written on the “X” platform that those working on developing artificial intelligence seriously believe that this technology may pose an existential threat to humanity before the end of the decade.
When Altman was asked by Fortune about the risks of human extinction, he said that those working in this field bear an “enormous responsibility,” and cannot allow ego, financial incentives, or any other factors to influence their decisions.
OpenAI revealed in July that its models were able, during tests, to exit their isolated environment, connect to the Internet, and infiltrate the “Hagging Face” platform, which developers use to store and share code.
The incident caused more than a thousand employees in companies specialized in developing the latest artificial intelligence technologies to sign a petition in which they called on the US government to help slow down the introduction of the most advanced artificial intelligence models.
Last month, the US government launched a voluntary mechanism to review the security of advanced artificial intelligence models before launching them, but the details and standards of the program are still unclear.
Global markets are entering a week full of central bank decisions, at a time when inflation risks are returning to the fore with oil prices rising to more than $100 per barrel, and domestic price pressures continuing in a number of major economies.
Attention is turning in particular to three decisions in the United States, Britain and Japan, which may shape the features of monetary policy during the remainder of 2026, at a time when central banks face an increasing dilemma between containing inflation and maintaining growth. While market bets on a rate hike in the United States and Japan increase, the Bank of England is likely to keep interest rates unchanged, with the possibility of a resumption of monetary tightening remaining in the coming months.
This comes after the European Central Bank's decision to raise interest rates, amid signs that the monetary tightening cycle in the euro zone may not have ended yet, which reinforces fears of a wider shift towards tighter monetary policies in major economies.
The Federal Reserve in the face of inflation and oil
The US Federal Reserve issues its decision on Wednesday, amid growing expectations to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, after US inflation data showed continuing price pressures, while the labor market’s performance was stronger than expected.
Market bets on raising interest accelerated after the release of inflation data, as the odds of an increase reached about 82.5 percent on Friday, compared to about 68 percent before the release of the data.
Investors' interest is not limited to the decision itself, but extends to Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh's statements regarding the interest rate path in the coming months, especially in light of the rise in Treasury bond yields to high levels due to inflation fears and increased expectations of raising interest rates.
The rise in oil prices further complicates the Federal Reserve's mission, after Brent crude oil exceeded $100 per barrel, which threatens to add new pressures to inflation, at a time when estimates indicate that domestic inflation resulting from the strength of the economy is still high.
The Bank of England fixes interest rates... but the door is open for a hike
In Britain, the Bank of England is likely to keep the interest rate at 3.75 percent during its meeting on Thursday, given that the current level is considered a restriction on economic activity.
But the stabilization decision will not mean the end of the risks of monetary tightening; The markets are pricing in a probability of about 32 percent to raise interest rates by 25 basis points during the next meeting, while market expectations indicate three increases by March 2027.
British jobs and inflation data will be of particular importance before the meeting, as stronger than expected data may reinforce bets on resuming interest hikes before the end of the year.
Japan is preparing for the highest interest rates in nearly three decades
In Japan, attention is turning to the Bank of Japan meeting on Friday, amid widespread expectations for an interest rate hike, driven by a tougher tone from officials and strong economic data.
Informed sources indicate that the bank is preparing to raise the interest rate to 1.25 percent, its highest level since April 1995, in a move that comes after it raised the rate to about 1 percent in June.
The potential decision comes at a time when core inflation rates are close to the bank's 2 percent target, while the risks of rising prices are heightened by rising oil, a weak yen and demand linked to artificial intelligence.
According to expectations, investors' attention after the decision will focus on the directives of Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda regarding the next path for interest rates, especially as markets await whether the bank will continue to tighten in the coming months.
Oil complicates the accounts of central banks
Energy prices constitute the common denominator among central banks' decisions this week. Brent's rise above $100 per barrel brings inflation risks back to the forefront, after markets were betting on a decline in price pressures.
The impact of oil is not limited to energy-importing economies, but is also reflected in inflation expectations, bond yields, and the cost of borrowing globally, which may prompt central banks to keep monetary policy tighter for a longer period.
This is clearly evident in bond market movements, as investors monitor US Treasury bond yields in light of rising interest expectations and inflation fears, in addition to concerns about the US financial situation.
Mixed decisions outside the G7
Monetary policy moves are not limited to major economies. In Brazil, the central bank is expected to cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.75 percent, supported by slowing economic activity and declining inflation.
In Taiwan, investors are awaiting the central bank's decision on Thursday, with expectations divided between raising interest rates and keeping them unchanged. The step is of particular importance after the country raised its 2026 growth forecast to 11.05 percent, supported by demand related to artificial intelligence, at a time when inflation exceeded 2 percent for the fourth month in a row.
In China, there will be no major interest rate decision this week, but economic activity data scheduled to be released on Tuesday will provide important indicators of the strength of domestic demand, as growth continues to depend largely on exports.
A week that charts the direction of the markets
Thus, the markets appear to be facing a week in which three main trends intersect: a possible monetary tightening in the United States and Japan, and a cautious stabilization in Britain, versus the opposite trend in some emerging economies such as Brazil.
The importance of the upcoming decisions may be greater than the size of the movements themselves, as markets will especially monitor the language of central banks regarding inflation, energy prices, and the path of interest rates later. With oil still above $100, the most important question for investors may become not whether rates will rise this week, but how high central banks will be forced to keep them high after that.
