OpenAI CEO says AI has not caused predicted job losses

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on Tuesday that the rapid development of artificial intelligence has not triggered the widespread job losses he once anticipated, particularly for entry-level white-collar workers. Speaking at a conference hosted by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney, Altman stated that while he initially feared significant impacts on global employment, the displacement has been less severe than predicted.

Altman said that while OpenAI's executives were roughly correct in their technological forecasts since launching ChatGPT in 2022, they were "pretty wrong on the social and economic implications." He expressed delight at being mistaken, noting he had expected more entry-level white-collar jobs to be eliminated by now. Altman acknowledged that his earlier warnings contributed to widespread anxiety, but defended raising the issue as a real risk that still may materialize.

The executive's revised outlook stems from a personal realization about the enduring value of human interaction in the workplace. He described an experiment where he used AI to reply to Slack and email messages, with responses labeled as coming from "Sam's AI." The experience, he said,...