The creator of advanced chatbot ChatGPT has called on US lawmakers to regulate artificial intelligence (AI).

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, testified before a US Senate committee on Tuesday about the possibilities – and pitfalls – of the new technology.

In a matter of months, several AI models have entered the market.

Mr Altman said a new agency should be formed to license AI companies.

ChatGPT and other similar programmes can create incredibly human-like answers to questions – but can also be wildly inaccurate.

Mr Altman, 38, has become a spokesman of sorts for the burgeoning industry. He has not shied away from addressing the ethical questions that AI raises, and has pushed for more regulation.

He said that AI could be as a big as “the printing press” but acknowledged its potential dangers.