OpenAI CEO: AI will eliminate jobs despite perks

While generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as ChatGPT could boost productivity for many employees in the years ahead, others could potentially lose their jobs, said Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company responsible for ChatGPT.

In an interview with The Atlantic, Altman pushed back on the idea that the AI boom would have only a positive impact on employees. “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,” he said. “Jobs are definitely going to go away, full stop.” While experts have shared how AI could serve as a valuable assistant to workers, Altman’s comments ring true, with some are likely to go by the wayside.

The widespread adoption of AI, however, could also create new jobs. Altman expect better jobs to be created in place of any that were disrupted, although there is less certainty over where displaced employees would be able to navigate their way to these new positions.

READ MORE: Rethinking employee benefits to attract and retain talent

Ethan Mollick, Associate Professor Of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, cited the late-19th century automation of telephone operators as an example of employees struggling to adapt to technological change. “When you got rid of operators, then basically young women were able to adjust, find new jobs and were able to adapt. But older women took a lifelong hit to wages [and] were never able to find as good a job again,” he added, reported Business Insider.