Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has described the UAE as the world’s most forward-looking country for AI adoption.

He made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2026).

Altman addressed the agreements announced involving OpenAI, ADNOC and G42. He said the partnership between the three parties would help shape and enable the energy sector through artificial intelligence.

He noted that AI has begun to change the way people work. Tools such as ChatGPT are helping people perform their jobs more efficiently. At the same time, some are increasingly using AI as a colleague or member of a team.

Altman added that scientific discovery excites him most. Over the past few months, AI systems have begun tackling mathematical problems that people had been unable to solve. He said these capabilities could extend across different fields of science. They could also help with complex challenges facing energy production.

Turning to energy, Altman said the amount of energy required for each query is declining as efficiency improves. However, lower usage costs are encouraging greater AI adoption and wider use of the technology.

He said he hopes applications of AI in the energy sector will generate benefits large enough to offset the technology’s own energy consumption. Ultimately, he said, this could help increase global energy availability.

Altman also addressed the impact of AI adoption on jobs. He said the technology is already capable of performing many parts of some white-collar jobs. Even so, he expressed confidence that societies will be able to adapt to the change.

He stressed the importance of human creativity and judgement. He also said people need to remain in control of decisions.

According to Altman, AI should be a tool that serves people. It should not be a system entrusted with decisions about their future. As AI adoption continues to grow, this view keeps human control at the center of the conversation.

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