- OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called Gen Z the luckiest kids in history due to technology rise
- Altman said AI job displacement is cyclical and young people adapt best to changes
- Altman expressed concern for older workers unwilling to retrain or reskill amid AI growth
Amid fears that artificial intelligence (AI) is taking jobs from people, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has claimed that Gen Z, short for Generation Z, are the luckiest kids in history, owing to the rise of technology. As per a Fortune report, Mr Altman made the bold claim whilst hinting at a future where "some classes of jobs will totally go away'.
"I would feel like the luckiest kid in all of history," Mr Altman told the host Cleo Abram on the Huge If True podcast.
Quizzed if AI would potentially cause job displacement, Mr Altman shrugged it off, saying it was a cyclical process.
"This always happens, and young people are the best at adapting to this. I'm more worried about what it means, not for the 22-year-old, but for the 62-year-old that doesn't want to go retrain or reskill or whatever the politicians call it."
The OpenAI CEO said the AI era will empower young creators, allowing them to bring ideas to life quickly, adding that young people will adapt better to this.
'AI to take away jobs'
While Mr Altman takes an optimistic view of the future, a former Google top executive recently said that AI could disrupt society as the technology eats away jobs, rendering the middle class non-existent.
Mo Gawdat, who left Google X as its chief business officer in 2018, said the 'hell' will begin as early as 2027 as AI eliminates white-collar jobs, with no one spared, including software developers, CEOs, and podcasters.
"The next 15 years will be hell before we get to heaven," said Mr Gawdat, adding that AI will trigger 'social unrest' as people still come to terms with losing their livelihoods and sense of purpose.
"Unless you're in the top 0.1 per cent, you're a peasant. There is no middle class," he predicted.
"AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is going to get better at everything than humans, at everything, including being a CEO. The one thing they don't think of is AI will replace them, too."
Previously, Geoffrey Hinton, regarded by many as the 'godfather of AI', stated that the technology could soon develop its own language, making it impossible for humans to track the machines.
