'Some Jobs Are Going To Go Away. But...'; OpenAI's Sam Altman On AI's Ripple Effects

SAM ALTMAN, CEO of OpenAI, the company that gave the world ChatGPT, is in India and is sharing his thoughts on the concerns and potential of AI with the media in India. Altman, recently, at the ET Conversations event, shared his opinions on diverse topics encompassing AI.

The CEO talked at length with the media publication and iterated that while some jobs would grow obsolete and "go away," new, better jobs would emerge.

Will AI Take Away Jobs Of People?

Answering the question of job losses that may be AI-induced, he said, "In two generations, we can adapt to any labour market change, and we see new jobs that are usually better. That is going to happen here too. Some jobs are going to go away. But there will be new, better jobs that are difficult to imagine."

Regulations And Ethical Guidelines Of Use

Additionally, the chief also exchanged views on the regulations of emerging technology. There should be no regulations for smaller firms. Big players, including OpenAI, should face regulations, he adds.

Speaking on ethical guidelines required to regulate AI, he said, "I think the world can come together. This is an existential risk. If the governments cannot, we will ask the companies to do it." While Altman highlighted the potential misuse and risks associated with the use of generative AI, OpenAI will try to minimise it, he said.

Talking on India, he said the country has "embraced" ChatGPT. Users are filled with enthusiasm and are early adopters. Further, as highlighted earlier, GPT-5 is not in the works, the CEO shared with ET.

Furthermore, other than media interactions, Altman is expected to meet government officials, which may include the Prime Minister of India.

Meanwhile, prominent voices like Elon Musk, Geoffrey Hinton, Eric Schmidt and others have flagged concerns with the rapid pace of developments in the field of AI taking place globally.