Open AI CEO Sam Altman has just shared a strong warning about the future of jobs. He said during an interview with Forbes that artificial intelligence is quickly becoming cheaper than human workers. This means companies may start using AI instead of people for many basic tasks, especially entry-level office work.
Sam Altman’s statement shows that AI is no longer just a helpful tool; it is becoming powerful enough to change how businesses operate.
Why is AI getting cheaper?
Sam Altman explained that AI systems can now do many tasks using less energy and time than humans. While it costs a lot to build and train AI, using it later is much cheaper.
He said the cost of running AI models, particularly at the ‘inference’ stage, when they generate outputs, is already significantly lower than the energy required for humans to perform equivalent intellectual work.
He pushed back against common comparisons that weigh AI’s training costs against human effort, noting that human intelligence itself requires decades of biological ‘training’ and energy consumption over a lifetime.
His core argument: on a per-unit basis of intellectual output, AI systems are becoming highly efficient, and that efficiency is expected to improve further.
Jobs will evolve, not just change
Even though this sounds worrying, Sam Altman does not believe all jobs will vanish. Instead, he says jobs will change. Some roles will be replaced, but many will be updated, and new jobs will also be created.
We have seen this before with new technology. For example, jobs like social media managers or app developers did not exist years ago.
However, jobs that involve repetitive thinking or simple tasks may be affected first.
What is India’s position?
Sam Altman also mentioned that India is one of the fastest-growing markets for AI. Many developers and companies in India are already using AI tools, especially for coding.
The scale of usage, however, brings a commercial reality. Delivering AI services is more expensive than traditional internet services, meaning companies will need to find ways to make markets like India financially viable at scale.
The main takeaway is clear: people need to adapt. As AI becomes cheaper and smarter, workers must focus on skills like creativity, problem-solving, and advanced knowledge.
AI is not just changing technology; it is changing the future of work.