Sam Altman: OpenAI may reach AGI this year

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company may achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) this year, according to a TIME cover story published on August 26, 2026. The report, based on two weeks at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters and interviews with over 20 executives, investors, customers, and rivals, also examined Anthropic's recent gains and internal sentiment at OpenAI.

Yesterday, TIME and I published a cover story called “Inside OpenAI’s Reboot.” https://time.com/article/2026/08/26/openai-sam-altman-interview/ I spent two weeks at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters and spoke with more than 20 executives, investors, customers, and rivals. I went into the reporting process wanting to understand OpenAI’s last year, what allowed Anthropic to gain so much ground, and the internal mood a…