Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, pushed back against the notion that artificial intelligence will wipe out jobs across the economy. Speaking at a virtual interview hosted by Commonwealth Bank of Australia chief executive Matt Comyn in Sydney, Altman said he is "delighted to be wrong" about the magnitude of AI’s impact on entry‑level white‑collar positions.
"I thought there would have been more impact on entry‑level white‑collar jobs being eliminated by now than has actually happened," Altman told Reuters. He added that his intuition on the subject was off and that the reality has been less dramatic than many analysts predicted.
Altman emphasized that while OpenAI’s technological forecasts for ChatGPT, launched in 2022, were "roughly right," the company missed the mark on the social and economic implications of the technology. "We were pretty wrong on the social and economic implications," he said, acknowledging that the broader debate about AI and employment will continue.
Despite the optimism, Altman warned that AI will not eliminate the need for human interaction. He disclosed that he relies on AI tools to draft responses on Slack and email, labeling the output as "Sam’s AI." Yet he stressed that a "human part" of employment remains essential. "There is still a human part of employment which needs to be present," he explained, noting that he now answers many messages himself.
Altman's comments arrive at a time when the tech sector is grappling with large‑scale workforce reductions. Meta recently cut about 8,000 jobs after several AI‑focused projects stalled, reassigning many displaced staff to new AI initiatives. The layoffs underscore the very concerns Altman dismissed, highlighting the tension between AI optimism and real‑world corporate actions.
In a separate controversy, Standard Chartered's chief executive sparked outrage by describing workers as "lower‑value human capital" while the bank trimmed its workforce in favor of AI tools. The remarks drew criticism for devaluing employees and fed into broader anxieties about AI’s role in reshaping labor markets.
Altman’s interview also revealed a personal dimension to his AI use. He described the experience of having an AI draft his messages as "an amazing example" of caring for people, yet he cautioned against fully outsourcing communication to machines. "I can’t imagine myself outsourcing that to an AI anytime soon," he said.
Overall, Altman painted a nuanced picture: AI will transform work, but it will not eradicate it. He believes the jobs landscape will evolve in ways that differ from the doom‑laden scenarios some industry players have promoted.
"I don't think we're going to have the kind of jobs apocalypse that some of the companies in our space advocate or talk about," Altman concluded. His remarks suggest a shift in tone from earlier warnings, positioning OpenAI as a proponent of balanced, human‑centric AI deployment while acknowledging past miscalculations.
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
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