During a recent episode of “Unconfuse Me,” Bill Gates’ podcast, CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, shared his worries regarding how quickly humanity will need to adjust to the AI revolution. According to Altman, artificial intelligence (AI) will set off the “fastest” technology transformation in human history, surprising us and requiring a higher degree of flexibility more quickly than in the past.
Altman acknowledged that humanity has historically shown adaptability to massive technological shifts, with jobs evolving over generations. However, he emphasized that the speed of the upcoming AI revolution is what makes it particularly daunting. He stated, “It’s not that humanity is not super adaptable. We’ve been through these massive technological shifts, and a massive percentage of the jobs that people do can change over a couple of generations. And over a couple of generations, we seem to absorb that just fine. This will be the fastest by far, and that’s the part that I find potentially a little scary.”
The worries expressed by Altman are shared by individuals who have already seen how AI has affected their line of employment. Some organizations announced layoffs in 2024, citing the efficiencies brought forth by AI technologies as the cause for their workforce reduction. Several companies implemented employment cuts in 2023.
Altman has expressed apprehensions about artificial intelligence previously. He disclosed that he had trouble sleeping at night because of the speculative notion that OpenAI may have done something “really bad” when it introduced ChatGPT in an interview with Times Internet vice chairman Satyan Gajwani. Altman expressed concern that when developing ChatGPT, they might have missed something difficult and intricate.
Altman’s concerns underscore the pressing need for society to take proactive measures in addressing the issues brought about by the swift advancement of artificial intelligence. To guarantee a seamless transition into the AI-dominated future, careful thought, ethical development, and strategic planning become more and more important.