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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has softened his stance on AI-driven job losses, arguing that companies adopting AI most aggressively are often hiring more workers. While acknowledging public anxiety over automation, he said human interaction remains central to business and society.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backtracks on statements regarding AI-driven job cuts(Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News vi)Sam Altman, chief executive officer (CEO) of artificial intelligence (AI) startup OpenAI, has reportedly walked back his earlier prediction that AI is causing widespread job losses.
Speaking with CNBC on Monday, Altman argued that companies embracing AI are often the same ones hiring more workers, whereas firms that continue to blame AI for layoffs may not be using the technology extensively.
He said, "The companies that I know that have adopted AI the most are also the ones hiring the most," and added, "And the companies, as a general rule, that are talking about doing layoffs because of AI are the ones adopting AI the least."
He made these remarks before celebrating the official groundbreaking of a massive, one-gigawatt data centre 50 miles southwest of Detroit.
Altman added that AI can be a “convenient way” for companies to explain layoffs.
Altman backtracks on AI-driven job cuts
The OpenAI CEO has backtracked on his previous statements in which he said that entire job categories could be wiped out by artificial intelligence. Back in 2025, he told Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman that "some areas" in the job market would be "just like totally, totally gone" as they are replaced by AI agents. In the same year, he also suggested that the types of jobs being slashed or transformed by AI may not be considered "real work" in the long run.
Altman turns optimistic
He further said that he remains unsure how the new technology will ultimately affect employment, but added that his view has become more optimistic after watching companies adopt OpenAI's coding tools, including Codex.
"I think I underestimated how jagged these models are going to be," he said. "They do some things incredibly well, but they don't do kind of the long-term, complex task supervision well at all."
Anxiety over AI replacing jobs skyrockets
According to a Business Insider report, Altman's remarks come at a time when employees are increasingly worried about what generative AI will mean for white-collar jobs. Some of the tech industry's own leaders, including Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have previously warned that artificial intelligence could replace many employees.
Previously, several tech companies also cited AI as the primary reason while announcing job cuts, including Block, Cisco, Coinbase, Snap, and Salesforce, and that anxiety is now showing up in public opinion. Citing a March Pew Research Centre poll, the report noted that at least 50 per cent of Americans were more concerned than excited about AI's increased use in daily life. In comparison, only 10 per cent were more excited than concerned.
Sam Altman addresses public anxiety over job loss
Addressing increasing anxiety over job loss, Altman said he regrets some of OpenAI's past press releases that might have contributed to the anxiety. Pointing to a December 2025 press release for GPT-5.2, in which the company said the model "outperforms professionals across 44 occupations," he said he wished the company had been more precise.
He argued that human interaction will remain central to how businesses and society function. "People really like other people and want to interact with other people. They want to collaborate. They work with other people," he said, and added, "When they buy a product, they want to talk to a person at the company."
He went on to say, "Most people, I think, don't want to watch an AI-generated creator. They want to know who the person behind it is. So I think we have under—and this is really good. I'm really happy about this. But I think our industry underestimated how much we're going to be able to keep people at the centre of everything in an economy and a world that are based on people."
About the Author
Swati Gandhi
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.
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