At BlackRock’s U.S. Infrastructure Summit Wednesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence access, stating that if there isn’t “enough” AI to go around, only the wealthy will be able to afford it.
Speaking with Bayo Ogunlesi, chairman and CEO of BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, Altman likened AI to essential utilities like electricity or water. “We see a future where intelligence is a utility,” he said. “People buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for.”
Altman emphasized that demand for metered AI usage remains high but warned of dire consequences if supply falls short. “If we don’t have enough AI, we either can’t sell it or the price gets really high—and it, you know, kind of goes to rich people,” he explained.
The remarks align with Altman’s Stargate Project—a $500 billion initiative targeting U.S.-based AI infrastructure by 2029. Currently, only one operational data center exists: OpenAI’s flagship facility in Abilene, Texas, which produces an estimated 200+ megawatts to power thousands of AI supercomputers. A second site in Port Washington, Wisconsin, is scheduled for completion in 2028.
Altman concluded by calling for market saturation: “The best thing to me throughout all the history of capitalism… is to just flood the market.”
