--- title: "Sam Altman Says He Intends to Replace Normal People With AI" description: "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hopes that artificial general intelligence will be able to replace the so-called \"median human.\"" date: "2023-09-29" modified: "2023-09-29" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/sam-altman-replace-normal-people-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "ai bros" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" --- # Sam Altman Says He Intends to Replace Normal People With AI ![OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hopes that artificial general intelligence will be able to replace the so-called "median human."]() *WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaks to members of the press outside the “AI Insight Forum” at the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. Lawmakers are seeking input from business leaders in the artificial intelligence sector, and some of their most ardent opponents, for writing legislation governing the rapidly evolving technology. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) \Image: Alex Wong via Getty Images\* That's one way to talk about other human beings. As writer Elizabeth Weil notes in a new profile of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in [*New York Magazine*](), the powerful AI executive has a disconcerting penchant for using the term "median human," a phrase that seemingly equates to a robotic tech bro version of "Average Joe." Altman's hope is that artificial general intelligence (AGI) will have roughly the same intelligence as a "median human that you could hire as a co-worker." It's a disconcerting assertion, considering that it *really* sounds like Altman is looking to replace the work of normal people with a not-yet-realized AGI. And [according to *Insider*](), it's not even the first time he's said as much. In a 2022 interview on the Lex Fridman podcast, Altman explained that this theoretical AI would be able to "do anything that you'd be happy with a remote coworker doing just behind a computer, which includes learning how to go be a doctor, learning how to go be a very competent coder." In other words, if you happen to live a "median" life, you could soon be out of a job — or, at least, that's one way to interpret his comments. Cheers to our AI future. As *Insider* and *New York Mag* both note, Altman isn't the only person in the world of AI who uses the unsettling terminology. The phrase is present across an [incredible]() [number]() [of AI blogs](), and was even featured in a *CNBC* article titled "[How to talk about AI like an insider.]()" "Eventually, when we develop an AGI in earnest," reads a [blog post]() from an AI startup dubbed Skippet, which seems to fall very much in line with Altman's median theory, "it would display the capabilities of the median human, but retain the potential to become an expert in the field, something we now consider reserved for the narrow AI." To use the word "median" specifically also feels like a distinct — and telling — choice. It's a squishy term that could leave plenty up to interpretation. How Altman, or anyone else, could possibly go about determining a holistic definition for this statistical average is unclear. Regardless, such a quantification of the human experience feels in many ways dehumanizing and incomplete. "Comparing AI to even the idea of median or average humans is a bit offensive," Brent Mittelstadt, director of research at the Oxford Internet Institute, told *Insider*. "I see the comparison as being concerning and see the terminology as being concerning too." Adding that there's yet to be a "concrete measurable comparison of human intelligence" within AI research, Mittelstadt also noted that the concept of a median person seems like "an intentionally vague concept as compared to having a very specific grounded meaning." Besides, the concept of *performance* and the much-less-tangible notion of human intelligence are two very different things — and as Middlestadt told *Insider,* equating them doesn't quite add up. "That is a hugely problematic leap to make," said the Oxford researcher, "because all of a sudden you're assigning agency, comprehension, cognition, or reasoning to these mechanistic models." Middlestadt isn't alone in his critique. "One thing that current AI architectures and models have shown is that they can achieve basically typical human-level performance. That's not problematic in itself," Henry Shevlin, an AI ethicist and professor at the University of Cambridge, told *Insider*. "I feel when we get into things like intelligence people are more touchy, and there are some good reasons for that." It's an arguably depressing porthole glimpse into the thoughts of Altman, who exerts a tremendous amount of influence over the industry. He's [often talked about saving the world](), arguing that we can use AI to solve [climate change](), [bring about Universal Basic Income](), [create clean energy](), and so on. He has also [declared]() that OpenAI's mission is to ensure that AGI, if it were to ever exist, will "\[benefit\] all of humanity." But of course, we all have very different ideas and opinions of what saving the world or ensuring that everybody benefits equally from AI looks like. And in this case, that reality is defined by someone who sees much of humanity as quantifiable "median" figures, ready to be replaced with AI. Fingers crossed we all pass the test. **More on OpenAI saving the world:** [*Experts Slam OpenAI's "Meaningless" New Promises About AGI*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()