Jensen Huang: "To Make AI Safe, We Need to Develop It Faster"

[Financial News, New York = Lee Byung-chul, Correspondent]  Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, directly rejected the so-called 'AI slowdown argument,' which calls for slowing technological development over concerns about AI risks. He argued that AI capabilities and safety are not conflicting concepts but advance together, and that AI technology development should instead be accelerated for safety.
At The Korea Society's 2026 annual gala in New York on the 28th (local time), Huang received the James A. Van Fleet Award for his contributions to the development of U.S.-South Korea relations. After receiving the award, he said, "There is a belief that we need to slow down AI development to improve safety, but that is not true." He described this as "a false choice."
He cited hallucinations in early versions of ChatGPT as an example. Huang explained, "An AI that hallucinates is not safe, and an AI that is not grounded in truth is not safe either. The reason we were able to reduce hallucinations was the advancement of frontier AI." He added, "Safety and capability are related; they are not separate." He emphasized, "Innovation and trust do not conflict, either."
He also dismissed concerns that AI could escape human control and act on its own. Huang said, "AI is not a living being, and it has not run amok. It is simply software that runs algorithms." He added, "It is no more alive than a pet rock."
Instead, he argued that AI safety requires 'containment and monitoring.' AI should initially be given only minimal authority and access, which should be expanded according to its capabilities and tasks, while its behavior is continuously monitored. He said, "What we need to do is contain AI within a controlled space and monitor it." He added, "It is not true that AI cannot be contained or monitored."
He offered a more direct rebuttal to some in the industry who advocate slowing down. Huang said, "Anyone who wants to slow down can do so." He added, "There is no need for an adult to come and tell us to slow down." However, he stressed that industry standards, external audits and evaluations, and a benchmarking system are needed as the AI industry moves from the research phase to real-world services.
He also discussed South Korea's role. Huang said South Korea is a country capable of developing AI technologies and using them to innovate its manufacturing industry. "I am deeply impressed by the way Korean society embraces technology," he said. Regarding cooperation with Samsung Electronics and SK, he said, "We will continue working with Korean companies for decades to come."
Meanwhile, Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, and Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, also attended the event. Alongside Huang, the two chairmen emphasized U.S.-South Korea technology cooperation and an AI alliance.
[email protected] Lee Byung-chul, Correspondent Reporter