Sam Altman: AI Won't Cause a 'Jobs Apocalypse'

Altman admitted that he overestimated the potential impact of AI on the labor market. He said that when ChatGPT launched in 2022, the company's management generally accurately assessed technological developments, but misjudged the social and economic impacts.

"I thought the job losses for entry-level professionals would be higher by now than they actually were. I'm glad I was wrong," he said, speaking online at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia conference in Sydney.

Altman noted that as AI becomes more widespread, the role of the human factor in work becomes clear. He added that even with the active implementation of technology, a significant portion of tasks involving human interaction are difficult to automate. The head of OpenAI emphasized that he doesn't expect massive job losses due to AI.

"I don't think we're heading for the kind of job apocalypse that some companies in our industry are reporting," he added.

Meanwhile, more and more large companies are announcing layoffs due to the adoption of AI. In particular, HSBC, Amazon, Standard Chartered, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia have already announced plans to replace some of their staff with AI tools. According to a report by the British financial services company RationalFX, the IT sector will cut 244,851 jobs by 2025.

Amid these changes, OpenAI is preparing for an initial public offering in the US. The company may file confidentially in the coming weeks and expects a valuation of up to $1 trillion, raising at least $60 billion in investment.