OpenAI CEO: AI Could Positively Impact Creative Workers

Amid concerns about artificial intelligence displacing workers in creative industries, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman argues the technology will ultimately increase appreciation for human talent and generate new employment opportunities.

"I think people really care about other people," Sam says to Variety. "I think people really care about the human beings behind the stories and the art and the creative work that matters so much, so my instinct is it's going the other way and people will care more about humans and more about human creators in the future, not less."

Sam's perspective addresses growing anxiety amongst creative professionals about job security as AI tools become more sophisticated. He frames the technology as complementary to human workers, suggesting increased AI adoption could heighten rather than diminish the value placed on human creators and storytellers.

According to Sam, OpenAI maintains contact with creative professionals who are keen to shape how the technology develops. "We do hear a lot from creatives who are like, 'I have these new ideas. I want to give input into the next model. I want these things to be possible,'" he adds.

Short-term disruption versus long-term opportunity

Sam has previously addressed workforce concerns about AI-driven redundancies during a conversation with CEO Mathias Döpfner on MD MEETS. In that discussion, he acknowledged the technology could eliminate certain roles whilst simultaneously creating new categories of employment.

"I think there will come a time when AI can be a much better CEO of OpenAI than me, and I will be nothing but enthusiastic the day that happens," he said. "It doesn't scare me, it doesn't make me sad, it's just like I did this one thing that has been automated and I wanted it to be automated and that's kind of what we're doing."

Sam suggested that whilst short-term job losses are possible, longer-term prospects could favour human-centric roles. He argued that humanity's defining characteristic isn't intellectual capability but rather interpersonal communication skills.

"Humans, human society, we have such main character energy we don't really care that the machines are smarter than us. They already are," Sam said.

Industry partnerships and regulatory questions

In late March, Sam closed OpenAI's Sora video-generation programme before Disney could announce available characters on the platform. The decision affected a partnership with new Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro and led to Disney cancelling its US$1bn investment in OpenAI.

Speaking to iHeartPodcasts in early April, Sam said he felt "terrible" about the situation but indicated both companies remain interested in future collaboration.

When asked by Variety about the late Val Kilmer's likeness being used to create an AI version of the actor in the upcoming film As Deep as the Grave, Sam declined to comment. "I don't think I'm the best person to answer that question," he said. "I probably have no deep insight there that people in this room don't have better things to say about it."

Regarding calls for AI regulation as the technology becomes embedded in creative workflows, Sam acknowledged the need for appropriate governance. "I think some regulation will be important. It's obviously very important to get it right."