Sam Altman sounded a global alarm in New Delhi today, warning that the unchecked centralization of artificial intelligence could lead to civilization-level ruin.

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit, the OpenAI CEO delivered his starkest warning yet to a room filled with 20 heads of state and the global tech elite. The message was unequivocal: if the development of "super-intelligent" systems remains concentrated in the hands of a single company or nation, the geopolitical and existential fallout will be catastrophic. Altman’s comments come as the "Global South" attempts to muscle its way into a conversation that has been dominated by Silicon Valley and Beijing.

The Battle for the AI Core

The summit, held at the Bharat Mandapam, represents a shift in the center of gravity for tech governance. India is positioning itself not just as a consumer of AI, but as the moral compass for its regulation. Altman praised India’s "amazing" opportunity but stressed that opportunity comes with the burden of guardrails. He argued that without an international regulatory framework akin to the IAEA for nuclear energy, the risks of AI—from deepfakes to autonomous weaponry—will spiral out of control.

• The Centralization Threat: Altman argued that AI is too powerful to be a proprietary secret. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-7)"Centralisation... could lead to ruin," he stated, advocating for a democratization of the technology.
• The Regulation Paradox: While calling for oversight, tech leaders remain divided on the "how." Heavy-handed regulation could stifle innovation, while a laissez-faire approach risks disaster.
• Global South Rising: The presence of leaders from developing nations signals a refusal to be left behind in the "Fourth Industrial Revolution," demanding a seat at the table where the rules of the future are written.

A Fork in the Road

The gathered CEOs and politicians face a dilemma. To regulate too early is to kill the golden goose; to regulate too late is to let the monster out of the cage. As the summit concludes, the consensus is fragile but clear: AI is no longer just a technology issue; it is the single most defining diplomatic and security challenge of our time.

For the observers in Nairobi and Lagos, the stakes are personal. The decisions made in these high-level rooms will determine whether AI becomes a tool for their development or a weapon of their digital colonization.