Sam Altman says people who lost jobs to AI “weren’t really doing a job”
This, he said, makes him “a little less worried” about AI-related job losses, as it shows how the nature of work continually changes.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has suggested that many of the jobs being displaced or transformed by artificial intelligence might not qualify as “real work” in the traditional sense.
Speaking at OpenAI’s recent DevDay conference in conversation with Rowan Cheung, Altman reflected on how perceptions of labour evolve over time. When asked whether AI could eliminate a billion knowledge-worker roles before new ones emerge, he compared the situation to how a farmer from half a century ago might have viewed modern professions.
Altman explained that such a farmer would likely look at the work performed by today’s knowledge workers — including his own — and dismiss it as not being “real work.” This, he said, makes him “a little less worried” about AI-related job losses, as it shows how the nature of work continually changes.
He elaborated that, from a farmer’s point of view, many current occupations might seem like “playing a game to fill your time” rather than performing essential labour, such as producing food or sustaining life. However, Altman also noted that future generations might look back at today’s roles and regard them as more substantial compared to the jobs that emerge in the AI era.
Altman’s broader point was that while AI may disrupt existing professions, new forms of work will inevitably arise — just as previous technological shifts have done. He expressed confidence in human adaptability, adding that he was “willing to bet on human drives being what they are,” and that people would continue to “find plenty of things to do.”
