Sam Altman: AI will not cause a ‘jobs apocalypse’

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking in a virtual keynote at a Commonwealth Bank of Australia conference, said he does not expect AI to trigger a widespread “jobs apocalypse.” He added that “the jobs picture is likely to be very different than we thought.”

Altman said OpenAI has tracked how its models affect work since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. He described the company as “roughly right” about workforce impacts but “pretty wrong” about broader social effects. He said he had expected more entry-level white-collar jobs to be replaced by now and added, “I’m delighted to be wrong about this.”

Altman described testing AI to draft automated email and Slack replies but often choosing to send messages himself. He experimented with an automatic tag that read “this is Sam’s AI,” and said the experience showed many interactions still matter to people and are not easy to hand off to software.

Several companies have cited AI as one factor in recent workforce reductions. Cloudflare pointed to agentic AI when announcing staff cuts, and Coinbase and Freshworks have linked parts of their headcount decisions to the technology. Altman has criticized firms that publicly cite AI as the reason for layoffs, arguing some reductions reflect financial or operational issues.

Consultancy research outlines a mixed outlook for jobs. Gartner projects that more jobs could be created than lost if employers and workers adjust role requirements and invest in training, while also forecasting a period of disruption and large reskilling needs. The firm estimates roughly 150,000 people will require daily upskilling as job designs change around AI.

Gartner research also reports that many businesses have scaled back plans to replace customer service workers with automated systems after rising customer complaints about bots and automated menus highlighted limits to full automation.

Analysts and industry leaders have offered differing forecasts on the scale and timing of job changes. Altman repeated that he does not expect an immediate collapse in employment, and analysts warn of significant role change and reskilling as AI use spreads.