Artificial intelligence will trigger the large-scale “jobs apocalypse” that many people feared when generative AI first emerged. Speaking at a Commonwealth Bank of Australia conference in Sydney, Altman admitted that while OpenAI’s predictions about the technological progress of AI were mostly accurate, the company had been “pretty wrong” about the scale of immediate social and economic disruption. He said fewer white-collar jobs have disappeared than he originally expected.
Altman explained that many forms of work still rely heavily on human interaction, judgment, and communication — areas where AI remains limited despite rapid advances. He noted that people continue to value authentic human engagement in workplaces, customer service, and collaboration. According to Altman, this human element has slowed the pace of complete automation, even as AI tools become more capable in coding, research, and administrative tasks.
At the same time, Altman acknowledged that AI is still reshaping the labor market. He previously warned that many current jobs could disappear as AI systems improve, especially entry-level white-collar roles involving repetitive digital tasks. However, he now believes the transition may happen more gradually and could lead to the creation of entirely new categories of work rather than widespread permanent unemployment. Researchers studying labor markets increasingly describe AI’s impact as organizational restructuring and task redesign rather than simple job elimination.
The discussion reflects the broader global debate over how AI will transform employment in the coming decade. While some executives and economists continue warning about large-scale disruption, others argue AI will function more as an augmentation tool that changes how people work instead of replacing workers entirely. Altman said he was “delighted to be wrong” about some of his earlier fears, though he emphasized that governments and businesses still need to prepare for major long-term economic and workplace changes driven by artificial intelligence.
