Sam Altman says AI won't shorten the workweek because humans enjoy being busy
14 hours ago
- Sam Altman explains that AI hasn't led to shorter workweeks because humans inherently love to work and compete with others.
- Technology has long promised more leisure time, but mass-scale four-hour workweeks have never been achieved, and Altman doesn't expect AI to change that.
- Altman argues that human expectations rise with capabilities, leading people to invent new products, ambitions, and problems rather than reducing work hours.
- People have a genuine desire to create, contribute, and feel useful, which will persist even as AI takes over more tasks.
- Critics, including Senator Bernie Sanders, note that many workers in monotonous jobs would prefer fewer hours for the same pay, and that AI savings should be returned as free time.
- Experiments with four-day workweeks in countries like the UK, Japan, and Germany have shown increased revenue, reduced fatigue, and stable or improved productivity.
- Altman also claims that the predicted job apocalypse from AI has not occurred, though interpretations vary.