In a thought-provoking conversation after OpenAI’s DevDay conference, CEO Sam Altman compared traditional labor like farming to modern-day desk jobs, suggesting that much of today’s work might not qualify as “real” in the truest sense. Speaking with Rowan Cheung, Altman reflected on how perceptions of work have evolved and what the future might hold as artificial intelligence reshapes the global job market.
When ‘real work’ meant keeping people alive
Altman’s comments came in response to Cheung’s analogy of how a farmer fifty years ago might have viewed the rise of the internet. “If you told a farmer fifty years ago that this magical thing called the internet is going to create a billion new jobs, he probably wouldn’t believe you,” Cheung said, setting the stage for a discussion about AI’s role in creating and destroying employment.
Altman expanded on the idea, saying that a farmer from that era might see today’s jobs as frivolous. “If you’re farming, you’re doing something people really need. You’re making them food, keeping them alive. This is real work,” Altman said, as quoted in the transcript from the DevDay conversation. By contrast, he noted, many modern professions might look like “playing a game to fill your time.”
Redefining ‘meaningful labor’
Altman’s reflections touch on a growing debate about how technological progress redefines the meaning of work. In his view, what people consider “real work” changes with every era. The industrial worker of the past may have seen today’s marketing strategist or software engineer as engaging in make-believe productivity. Yet Altman believes the same cycle will repeat in the age of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), when future generations might look back at us and view our jobs as more authentic than whatever replaces them.
“It’s very possible that if we could see those jobs of the future,” he said, “we would think maybe our jobs were not as real as a farmer’s, but more real than the game you’re playing to entertain yourself.”
AI’s impact and the “human drive” to find purpose
While Altman acknowledged concerns about AI replacing a billion knowledge workers before new jobs emerge, he expressed optimism about humanity’s ability to adapt. “I think people will still have tons of meaning in their life,” he said. “What we think of as work really changes.”
He suggested that human ambition would inevitably find new outlets—whether in space exploration, brain-computer interfaces, or creative problem-solving. “I’m willing to bet on human drives being what they are,” Altman added, highlighting his faith in human ingenuity to redefine productivity beyond the confines of traditional employment.
The uncertain future of ‘real work’
Altman’s comments, based on discussion with Rowan Cheung, offer both reassurance and unease. On one hand, he downplays fears of mass job extinction by framing work as a constantly evolving concept. On the other, he implies that the distinction between “real” and “artificial” labor might blur entirely in the coming decades.
If the farmer once represented the essence of tangible, life-sustaining work, and today’s digital labor symbolizes cognitive productivity, then the AI era might bring something stranger—work as play, purpose, or even self-expression. For Altman, the question isn’t just whether AI will take our jobs, but what “work” will even mean when machines can do almost everything we can.
When ‘real work’ meant keeping people alive
Altman’s comments came in response to Cheung’s analogy of how a farmer fifty years ago might have viewed the rise of the internet. “If you told a farmer fifty years ago that this magical thing called the internet is going to create a billion new jobs, he probably wouldn’t believe you,” Cheung said, setting the stage for a discussion about AI’s role in creating and destroying employment.
Altman expanded on the idea, saying that a farmer from that era might see today’s jobs as frivolous. “If you’re farming, you’re doing something people really need. You’re making them food, keeping them alive. This is real work,” Altman said, as quoted in the transcript from the DevDay conversation. By contrast, he noted, many modern professions might look like “playing a game to fill your time.”
Redefining ‘meaningful labor’
Altman’s reflections touch on a growing debate about how technological progress redefines the meaning of work. In his view, what people consider “real work” changes with every era. The industrial worker of the past may have seen today’s marketing strategist or software engineer as engaging in make-believe productivity. Yet Altman believes the same cycle will repeat in the age of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), when future generations might look back at us and view our jobs as more authentic than whatever replaces them.
“It’s very possible that if we could see those jobs of the future,” he said, “we would think maybe our jobs were not as real as a farmer’s, but more real than the game you’re playing to entertain yourself.”
AI’s impact and the “human drive” to find purpose
While Altman acknowledged concerns about AI replacing a billion knowledge workers before new jobs emerge, he expressed optimism about humanity’s ability to adapt. “I think people will still have tons of meaning in their life,” he said. “What we think of as work really changes.”
He suggested that human ambition would inevitably find new outlets—whether in space exploration, brain-computer interfaces, or creative problem-solving. “I’m willing to bet on human drives being what they are,” Altman added, highlighting his faith in human ingenuity to redefine productivity beyond the confines of traditional employment.
The uncertain future of ‘real work’
Altman’s comments, based on discussion with Rowan Cheung, offer both reassurance and unease. On one hand, he downplays fears of mass job extinction by framing work as a constantly evolving concept. On the other, he implies that the distinction between “real” and “artificial” labor might blur entirely in the coming decades.
If the farmer once represented the essence of tangible, life-sustaining work, and today’s digital labor symbolizes cognitive productivity, then the AI era might bring something stranger—work as play, purpose, or even self-expression. For Altman, the question isn’t just whether AI will take our jobs, but what “work” will even mean when machines can do almost everything we can.
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