--- title: "Sam Altman Says Sorry, AI Is Definitely Destroying Jobs" description: "The guy behind OpenAI has admitted that people are, in fact, going to lose work to artificial intelligence." date: "2023-07-27" modified: "2023-07-27" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/sam-altman-ai-destroying-jobs" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "job loss" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "the digest" --- # Sam Altman Says Sorry, AI Is Definitely Destroying Jobs ![The guy behind OpenAI has admitted that people are, in fact, going to lose work to artificial intelligence.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch via Getty / Futurism\* ## Disappearing Act So much for artificial intelligence not coming for our jobs, huh? In a new [interview with *The Atlantic*](), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman chided others in his industry for their rosy-eyed outlook on the future of AI — and appeared to show his hand in the process. "A lot of people working on AI pretend that it's only going to be good; it's only going to be a supplement; no one is ever going to be replaced," Altman told the magazine. "Jobs are definitely going to go away, full stop." While this news would be unwelcome to most, the CEO doesn't seem to be too stressed out about it. On balance, he says, a world with AI will be better — though it sounds like he isn't quite sure what that world will look like. "I don't think we'll want to go back," Altman said ## Recession Vibes As the *Atlantic* interviewer noted, one of Altman's examples of jobs in which people would always prefer humans was teaching — an ironic choice given that in the very same interview, he expressed excitement about the prospect of AI tutors that would provide "every child a better education than the best, richest, smartest child receives on Earth today." None of this is particularly surprising. In the months since ChatGPT was released to the public last fall, people have not only begun worrying tremendously about being replaced by AI, but [actually losing]() [their jobs]() to it, too. In early June, the executive coaching firm [Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated]() that nearly 4,000 jobs had already been eliminated due to AI, and in March, [Goldman Sachs predicted]() that a whopping 300 million jobs could be lost due to the technology. The very next month, the investment firm, which [has bought into AI]() and [encourages its clients]() to do so, forecasted that [AI could raise the gross domestic product]() by seven percent, which arguably shows where its loyalties lie. While it would be a stretch to say that Altman doesn't care about people's livelihoods — his other project, Worldcoin, is underpinned by a desire for a crypto-based [universal basic income]() — it's not exactly a great feeling to be told by a tech leader with a [net worth estimated between $250 and $500 million]() that his technology is going to result in job loss. This is, it seems, the AI revolution — and what comes next is anyone's guess. **More on Altman:** [*OpenAI CEO Says He Loses Sleep Over Decision to Release ChatGPT*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()