ChatGPT creator Sam Altman says AI will ‘kill’ some jobs entirely but ‘make some new ones’
Exclusive: "I love reading contemporaneous accounts of previous technological revolutions — the concerns are always the same," the OpenAI CEO tells Attitude
By Dale Fox
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, creator of ChatGPT, has said he believes AI will “kill some classes of jobs entirely,” though new ones will be created in turn.
Speaking exclusivy to Attitude as part of our special 30th anniversary issue – available to order now or read on the Attitude app – the out gay leader added that AI tool ChatGPT is being used to improve people’s jobs, rather than take them.
“It’s funny — people who have heard of the tool but don’t use it are like, ‘Ah, man, that’s going to take all the jobs.” People who use it often, not always, but usually, say, “Oh, I get it. It’s just going to help me do my work better,'” he told Attitude.
“It will kill some classes of jobs entirely. It’ll make some new ones. It’ll transform a lot. But I think with every tech revolution, the machine doesn’t quite take all the jobs.”
He added: “I love reading contemporaneous accounts of previous technological revolutions — the concerns are always the same.”
“By 30 years, the systems will be just, I think, unimaginably capable” – Sam Altman on AI
ChatGPT is a generative AI chatbot that can be used to create text or images from simple prompts. The tool, alongside competitors such as Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini, can write essays, song lyrics, poetry, and even complicated computer code in just a few keystrokes.
Despite its emerging prominence in a number of industries – Forbes has predicted that AI could replace as many as 300 million jobs according to a 2023 report [PDF] – Altman assures that tools such as ChatGPT will bring improvements in scientific and healthcare research.
“By 30 years, the systems will be just, I think, unimaginably capable,” he said, adding: “It’ll change the way people work and learn; it’ll provide healthcare; it’ll do all sorts of things.”
“Speaking personally like an excited citizen of Earth, the idea that this system is going to help us push back the veil on scientific knowledge and use that to build real economic growth for people — that’s awesome.”
Meanwhile, the recently minted billionaire (according to Forbes) spoke about his own future, sharing how kids are on the cards following his marriage to partner Oliver Mulherin earlier this year.
“Let’s see how busy work looks like it’s going to be,” he said of his plans, adding: “I’m from four. Four, I think, is doable.”
This feature was taken from a full interview with Sam Altman in issue 358 of Attitude magazine, available to buy now or on the Attitude app.
