OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says AI Could Replace Jobs That Aren’t “Real Work”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sparked debate by suggesting that jobs at risk of being replaced or transformed by AI may not constitute “real work” in the first place.

Key points:

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested that jobs at risk of AI replacement might not be considered “real work,” contrasting them with essential labor like farming.
  
• His comments sparked mixed reactions online, with some agreeing and others arguing that AI could create entirely new types of work.
  
• The discussion raises broader questions about how society defines work, value, and purpose in an era of increasing automation.

In an interview with AI newsletter founder Rowan Cheung, Altman responded to a thought experiment imagining how a farmer from 50 years ago might perceive today’s jobs. Altman suggested the farmer would likely view many modern roles as not “real work,” contrasting them with traditional labor, like farming, which directly provides essential goods and services, and labeling that type of work as truly “real work.”

Altman elaborated that, unlike the farmer’s work, many modern jobs might be perceived as simply “playing a game to fill your time,” whereas farming directly provides food and sustains the community.

The OpenAI CEO’s remarks have sparked mixed reactions online, with some users agreeing with his perspective while others argued that the issue is more nuanced.

“The workforce has become lazy and complacent. We have to encourage innovation, motivation, and aspiration again. Too many people are content, not enough people are hungry,” X user David Logger wrote in response to a post about Altman’s comments. 

Or maybe he is right! The workforce has become lazy and complacent. We have to encourage innovation, motivation, and aspiration again. Too many people are content, not enough people are hungry.

— David Logger (@david_logger) October 23, 2025

Other observers argued that although AI may render certain jobs obsolete, it could also spur the creation of entirely new roles, much like how industrial automation once gave rise to new categories of work.

“The most valuable work in 2045 will probably sound made up to us right now. The future jobs will probably be more human than ever. more creative, more relational, more about the stuff machines can’t replicate. We’re not becoming obsolete – we’re becoming more essentially human,” X user ersh wrote. 

the thing is new jobs will be created. here’s something i said in the past:

we're literally living through the weirdest job evolution ever.

imagine telling someone in 1960 that people make bank being "influencers" or "ux designers" or "renewals managers" – they'd be so…

— ersh (@ersh_mood) October 23, 2025

Altman’s remarks spotlights the ongoing debate over AI’s impact on the workforce, prompting broader questions about how society defines work, value, and purpose in an increasingly automated world.

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