Sam Altman at White House AI Dinner and OpenAI-Walmart Partnership Announced

September 5, 2025 - Washington, D.C.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined a high-profile technology dinner at the White House on Friday evening, where President Donald Trump hosted leaders from major U.S. tech firms to discuss artificial intelligence and economic investment. Altman praised the administration’s support for domestic chip manufacturing and AI infrastructure, aligning with fellow executives including Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai.

During the gathering-moved indoors due to weather-the group explored initiatives to bolster AI education and infrastructure across the country. Altman emphasized OpenAI’s commitment to AI safety and public-private collaboration, noting that balanced oversight is essential to sustaining innovation without stifling growth.

In parallel with the White House event, OpenAI revealed a new collaboration with retail giant Walmart to expand its AI certification initiative. The program, which Altman described as a key step toward democratizing AI skills, will offer certifications through the OpenAI Academy, aiming to certify millions of Americans in AI literacy by 2030. The partnership follows the launch of GPT-5 and underscores OpenAI’s strategy to equip the workforce for an AI-driven economy.

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