Indonesia has granted its inaugural “Golden Visa” to Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, just a week after the program’s launch aimed at attracting foreign investment to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
“There are various categories of golden visas beyond those tied to investment or capital, including one for individuals with an international reputation who can offer significant benefits to Indonesia,” said Silmy Karim, Indonesia’s Director General of Immigration, in a statement.
Karim added, “The aim with this golden visa is for Altman to contribute to the development and application of AI in Indonesia.” Altman’s Golden Visa is valid for 10 years.
As a visa holder, he will receive priority screening at airports throughout the country’s extensive archipelago, along with extended stay periods and simplified entry and exit processes.
Altman, who co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk, visited Indonesia earlier this year as part of a global tour that included major cities in Asia such as Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, and Singapore.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI chatbot known for its humanlike responses to user prompts, reached 100 million users just two months after its launch.
Recently, Altman and other technology leaders issued an open letter highlighting that AI presents a risk of human extinction comparable to nuclear war and emphasized that mitigating these risks should be a global priority.
