Sam Altman says AI has not caused feared white-collar job losses

Sam Altman has downplayed fears that artificial intelligence will trigger a global “jobs apocalypse,” saying the technology has not eliminated as many white-collar jobs as he previously expected.

Speaking virtually at a conference hosted by Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney on Tuesday, the OpenAI chief said he was initially concerned about the pace at which AI tools would replace entry-level office workers after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.

According to Altman, OpenAI’s predictions about how quickly AI technology would improve were largely accurate, but the company underestimated how slowly the social and economic disruption would unfold.

“I thought there would have been more impact on entry-level white-collar jobs being eliminated by now than has actually happened,” Altman said during the interview with CBA CEO Matt Comyn.

He added that while fears around AI-driven job losses were genuine at the time, his views have evolved as he better understands the role human interaction still plays in many professions.

Altman explained that although AI tools are increasingly capable of handling workplace tasks such as responding to emails and Slack messages, people still value direct human communication in professional relationships.

He revealed that he previously experimented with using AI to respond to some of his messages but later reverted to handling certain interactions personally after realising how much users cared about communicating with real people.

The OpenAI CEO said this experience changed his outlook on how AI would affect employment, noting that many jobs involve human connection and trust that may be difficult to fully automate.

His comments come as major global companies, including Amazon, HSBC and Standard Chartered, increasingly deploy AI systems to automate parts of their operations and reduce some roles.

Altman, however, said he no longer believes the labour market will experience the kind of widespread collapse some AI industry observers have predicted.

The remarks also arrive amid reports that OpenAI is preparing for a potential initial public offering in the United States that could value the company at around $1 trillion, further highlighting investor confidence in the rapidly growing AI sector.

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