Sam Altman wants lighter AI rules and says society should absorb some damage along the way — unsettling for workers and anyone who doubts tech CEOs should set the terms.

• OpenAI's chief says people should accept hacks, scams, and misuse as the price of AI's benefits, while drawing the line at catastrophic risk.
• Critics call that undemocratic: a handful of CEOs, now pouring money into elections, are deciding what counts as an acceptable cost.
• MIT's Daron Acemoglu breaks with mainstream economists and warns unemployment could triple in a decade if nothing changes.
• New York City entry-level job postings are already down sharply in design, media, writing, customer support, and clerical work.
• The AI building boom is shrugging off high borrowing costs, which makes it harder for the Fed to cool inflation.

Outlook: Trump has named intelligence chief Jay Clayton as AI czar, a sign Washington cares more about beating China than regulating the technology, so expect the buildout to keep running ahead of any rules.