OpenAI’s Altman Says AI Unlikely to Lead to ‘Jobs Apocalypse’ - Insurance Journal

So Sam Altman told an insurance industry audience that AI is unlikely to cause a 'jobs apocalypse.' Well, that's a relief. I was just updating my CV for the robot overlords. Altman, who has spent the last few years warning about the existential risks of AI and also trying to sell enterprise licenses to everyone, now says the technology hasn't claimed as many white-collar jobs as he feared. Translation: not enough jobs lost to justify the hype, but please keep buying API credits.

The timing is exquisite. Of course, he's not wrong that the apocalypse hasn't arrived yet; but 'not yet' is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The Insurance Journal article quotes him saying he 'feared' more job losses, which is a curious thing for a CEO to admit: that he was worried his own product would destroy livelihoods. But now he's seen the data, and apparently only some livelihoods have been upended, not all. Phew.

One wonders if this is the same Sam Altman who once called for AI regulation because the risks were so dire, but now sees no apocalypse, so perhaps regulation can wait? The insurance industry, which employs armies of underwriters and claims adjusters, should take his word for it — after all, he has a vested interest in downplaying disruption. 'Trust me,' says the man selling the hammer, 'it's not going to hit that many fingers.' But the hammer is still swinging, and the fingers are still attached — for now.