Sam Altman Says AI Will Create New Jobs Ahead

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that although artificial intelligence (AI) will change the job market, society will adjust and new jobs will be created over time.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Altman said that every major technological revolution has created fear about job losses, but history shows that new opportunities always emerge. He compared the current AI revolution to the Industrial Revolution, which also caused panic about unemployment but eventually led to the creation of new industries and roles.

“I think there will be a lot of jobs,” Altman said. “Every technological revolution has panicked about jobs going away, and every technological revolution has found new jobs on the other side.”

India’s Job Concerns

Altman acknowledged that job anxiety is especially high in India because nearly 500 million people in the country are under the age of 30. He said that during meetings with Indian political leaders, discussions mainly focus on job creation, infrastructure development, fair distribution of AI benefits, and safety.

He added that it is difficult to predict exactly how jobs will change in the future. However, he stressed that certain skills will become more important. These include fluency in using AI tools, adaptability, resilience, teamwork, and understanding what people need.

“Figuring out what people are going to want and how to be useful to them, and how to work with other people — these are very good things to learn,” he said.

Impact on India’s IT Sector

India’s IT industry contributes around 8% to the country’s GDP and plays a major role in employment. On concerns that AI may disrupt jobs in the IT services sector, Altman said there will still be strong demand for IT work.

He explained that, like past advances in computer programming, professionals will work at a higher level of abstraction. This means developers and engineers will focus more on strategy, design, and problem-solving, while AI handles routine coding tasks.

Altman said the total amount of software and products created is likely to increase significantly because AI tools will boost productivity.

AI and the Future of Work

Last year, Altman had said that AI could potentially impact up to 40% of jobs. However, he emphasized that job markets have always evolved. Many roles that existed 30 years ago no longer exist today, while new professions that were once unimaginable are now common.

He concluded that although AI will bring major changes, society will discover new ways of working and new kinds of jobs in the future.