According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, artificial intelligence is developing at a rate that may soon surpass human capabilities. After receiving the Axel Springer Award this year, Altman shared his vision of AI fundamentally altering science, work, and society by the decade’s end. He noted, “In many ways, GPT-5 is already smarter than me, and I think a lot of other people too,” emphasizing that while AI struggles with tasks humans perform naturally, its improvement trajectory is “extremely steep,” as reported by Business Insider. Altman indicated that in a few years, AI could achieve scientific breakthroughs beyond human reach.
“In another couple of years, it will become very plausible for AI to make, for example, scientific discoveries that humans cannot make on their own. To me, that’ll start to feel like something we could properly call superintelligence.” He provided a timeline, stating, “By the end of this decade, by 2030, if we don’t have extraordinarily capable models that do things that we ourselves cannot do, I’d be very surprised.” While this prospect excites researchers, Altman acknowledged the potential for significant job losses. He estimated that AI could undertake 30 to 40 percent of tasks currently performed by humans.
“I can easily imagine a world where 30 to 40 percent of the tasks that happen in the economy today get done by AI in the not very distant future,” he said. However, he emphasized that this does not imply all jobs will disappear; rather, the nature of work will evolve, with some roles fading while new ones arise. The key challenge, in his view, is adaptability, which he described as the “meta-skill of learning how to learn”—essential for success in an AI-driven economy.
Altman dismissed fears that superintelligence would make humans obsolete, recalling OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever’s hope that AGI might treat humanity “like a loving parent.” Altman’s perspective was more cautious: “Even if it has no intentionality, asking it to do something could have consequences we don’t understand. So, it is very important that we align it with human values. I don’t think it’ll treat humans like ants.” He also hinted at hardware initiatives, suggesting that OpenAI, having recently hired a former Apple designer, is working on a “small family of devices” to transform computer usage. “It will be good-looking,” he joked, imagining tools where AI handles complex tasks completely, relieving users of managing numerous apps and notifications.
Reflecting on parenting, Altman, who became a father this year, expressed his desire to instill qualities like adaptability, resilience, and creativity in his son, which he believes will be crucial in an AI-influenced future. On the political front, he ruled out AI leaders for the time being but recognized that governments would increasingly rely on AI for decision-making, while maintaining that humans should make the final decisions. He humorously dismissed AI for personal relationship advice—”I’ve tried it, but no, that’s not one of my big personal use cases”—yet insisted that AI will soon be central to nearly every discussion, transforming industries, economies, and everyday life.