OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated on Tuesday that the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is unlikely to trigger a global “jobs apocalypse,” adding that AI has not curbed as many white-collar entry-level roles as he has previously expected.
Speaking virtually at a Commonwealth Bank of Australia conference in Sydney, Altman reflected on the impact of AI since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.
He stated that OpenAI’s technical predictions had been largely accurate; however, the wider social and economic effects had been misjudged.
Altman admitted he initially believed AI would already have replaced a larger number of entry-level white-collar jobs. “I’m delighted to be wrong about this,” he stated, mentioning that while some disruption has occurred, it has not been as severe as anticipated.
He explained that earlier fears around widespread job losses may have overlooked the significance of human interaction in many professions.
According to Altma, certain aspects of work, especially communication and personal engagement, remain difficult for AI to supersede.
Moreover, he shared a personal example, stating he once used AI tools to respond to email and Slack messages but later chose to resume handling some of them himself, realizing people still value human communication.
Altman underscored that while AI is increasingly being incorporated into workplaces, it is now transforming jobs instead of fully replacing them.
He added that the employment landscape will expectedly evolve differently as compared to early predictions suggested, and a full-scale “jobs apocalypse” is unlikely in the near future.
