“Going back to right after ChatGPT launched, and even before that, this is a country that decided to bet all in on AI, throughout the government, throughout companies and in its use,” Altman said. “I think 80% of young people are weekly active ChatGPT users, one of the highest rates in any country. “It's an incredible embrace, and I think it has come from the leadership.” While AI promises to help the energy industry, its own growing demand for power presents a formidable challenge. Asked to name the biggest challenge facing OpenAI, Altman offered a one-word answer: “Energy.” “Everything else, we’re going to make huge progress on,” he explained, pointing to more efficient models and advances in robotics. “We can bring down the cost of delivering great AI in almost every way. Except, you know, atoms are still atoms.” Altman acknowledged the questions surrounding AI’s impact on jobs, safety and society. “I think we're going to be reminded of how much people care about other people, how much human creativity matters, how much human judgment matters and how much we want people to stand behind that judgment,” he said. That emphasis on people is reflected in ADNOC’s investment in AI skills. More than 40,000 employees have received training in AI, while ADNOC also runs an AI Accelerator that teaches advanced skills to engineers and has developed an AI-focused curriculum for the ADNOC Technical Academy. “We think it is absolutely critical that people remain in control of the future,” said Altman. “There should not be a handoff to AI. There should not be a gradual, ‘We're going to let AI decide what is best for us.’ AI needs to be a tool built for people and needs to serve people, not the other way around.” And for Altman that means the ultimate opportunity extends beyond the energy industry – it’s a chance to improve people’s lives. “If every child in the world can get a great education, if people can have a much higher quality of life, we want people to use a lot of AI,” Altman said. “And I think we need to enable this for people because there's so much good.”