- Sam AltmanAI’s comments reignite debate over what counts as real work
- Critics say his comments discount vulnerable jobs as automation reshapes modern employment
- Supporters argue that Altman highlights AI’s role in eliminating repetitive, low-value tasks.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is known for making bold statements, such as his claim that a child born in 2025 is unlikely to be as smart as artificial intelligence.
His latest comments about AI, this time referring to its impact on the future of work, have once again sparked outrage on the Internet.
Speaking on stage at OpenAI’s DevDay event in a live interview with AI newsletter founder Rowan Cheung, Altman responded to a question about how a farmer from 50 years ago might view the jobs of today.
It’s not a real job
Altman responded: “What’s up with that farmer… [is that] “They are very likely to look at what you or I do and say, ‘that’s not a real job.’”
He continued: “If you’re…farming…you’re doing something that people really need. You’re making food for them, you’re keeping them alive. This is real work. You people of the future, life has become too easy for you.”
AI may take your job, but Altman says, “I think we’ll find plenty of things to do.”
His suggestion that many modern roles might not qualify as “real work” inevitably sparked widespread condemnation online, with people accusing Altman of dismissing jobs most at risk of being automated.
Some see his comments as emblematic of a growing divide between the creators of AI systems and the workers most affected by them.
Others, however, argue that Altman’s comments touch on a broader truth about how much of today’s employment is built around repetitive or bureaucratic tasks.
As Tom Hardware As he points out, these are typical roles that the late anthropologist David Graeber once described as “bullshit jobs” and that many workers secretly believe add little social value.
Studies have since offered mixed support for that claim, suggesting that feelings of worthlessness are often related to poor management rather than the jobs themselves.
Altman’s writing may have, once again, been a bit blunt, but his underlying point is hard to deny. AI is more likely to replace repetitive tasks than entire professions.
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