Sam Altman Accuses Major Companies of Using AI as a Pretext for Layoffs - ForkLog: Cryptocurrency, AI, Singularity, Future

# Sam Altman Accuses Major Companies of Using AI as a Pretext for Layoffs

Some companies are using artificial intelligence as a pretext for layoffs that would have happened anyway. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made this statement in an interview with CNBC.

“I don’t know the exact percentage, but there are certain companies that attribute layoffs to artificial intelligence. There are also real cases of job displacement due to AI,” said the entrepreneur.

In his opinion, over time, the impact of automation on the labor market will only increase.

Altman emphasized that in the era of LLMs, new types of employment will emerge, and “the real impact of technology on job performance” will become noticeable in the coming years.

Earlier, companies like Amazon, IBM, Salesforce, and HP mentioned optimizing staff due to the implementation of neural networks.

In September, the head of OpenAI predicted layoffs of many support staff. However, professions requiring personal contact (e.g., nurses) will be minimally affected by the technology. For programmers, artificial intelligence will become a tool that allows for multiple productivity increases and, consequently, higher income levels.

Regarding the next 5-10 years, OpenAI’s CEO is unsure how exactly the number of jobs will change. He believes that the displacement of some professions may lead to the emergence of new ones.

“I recently heard that half of jobs don’t disappear but rather transform every 75 years. It’s essentially a kind of half-life period. […] I can easily believe in a world where, in 75 years, half of the people will be engaged in something new, and the remaining in something that partly resembles today’s professions,” he said.

Price of Competition

Altman and his competitor, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, found themselves in a humorous situation—they did not shake hands during a group photo of political and tech leaders at the India AI Impact Summit. The photo quickly spread online.

Source: CNBC. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, and other participants linked hands, but Altman and Amodei raised their fists.

Recently, companies exchanged “jabs” regarding potential advertising applications in AI models.

Anthropic mocked OpenAI during the Super Bowl. In a series of videos, it highlighted the integration of advertising into the ChatGPT chatbot.

Altman called the videos misleading, and such marketing approaches are “in the spirit of Anthropic.”

OpenAI Valued at $850 Billion

Bloomberg reports that OpenAI is close to raising over $100 billion at a valuation of $850 billion. The initial tranches will come from:

• Amazon — discussing investments up to $50 billion;
• SoftBank — preparing to invest $30 billion;
• Nvidia — about $20 billion;
• Microsoft.

Later, venture and sovereign funds will join, increasing the total amount of funds raised.

However, CNBC has slightly different information. Journalists reported that Nvidia is ready to invest up to $30 billion at a valuation of $730 billion. The potential deal is not related to the $100 billion infrastructure agreement announced by the parties in September.

Recall that in February, OpenAI launched advertising in ChatGPT for adult users of the basic Go plan and those without a paid subscription.