Sam Altman told Stanford business students that AI could change some jobs in the near term, while urging them to consider building companies amid the shift.
Stanford Graduate School of Business published the interview Oct. 21 as part of its “View From The Top” series. MBA student Claudia Chen interviewed Altman, who encouraged students to look past career paths that had been popular in earlier years. He described the moment as “a great time to go do the new thing.”
Altman said AI could handle many tasks with less time and expense than people need. He said the technology could extend beyond individual duties and take over complete job functions as employers currently define them.
He also cautioned that AI’s wider effect on employment may arrive more gradually than some anticipate. Altman dismissed talk of a “job apocalypse,” while expecting substantial near-term changes to work tasks and some job categories.
For students considering what to do next, Altman pointed to companies built with technology OpenAI has released. He said he hopes some new firms will eventually surpass OpenAI in scale and importance. He also suggested that people with ambition, ideas and new skills may be better prepared to adapt as business changes quickly.
The opportunity he described for founders comes alongside disruption for workers whose tasks or roles change. Altman gave no estimate of how many jobs may be affected or a timetable for the broader shift.
He said skills that help people think will remain valuable as AI advances. He also said human values and work will continue to matter to people.
