OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says artificial intelligence is unlikely to deliver the long-promised shorter workweek, arguing that people will simply find new ways to stay busy even as technology boosts productivity.
Altman made the comments in an interview on the Relentless podcast with host Ti Morse. He noted that technology has long been expected to free up more leisure time, yet society has never achieved a widespread four-hour workweek.
“Technology, for a long time, has been promising people that they’re going to work less and they’re going to have all this leisure,” Altman said. “But somehow we never get the promise of the four-hour workweek at mass scale in society. And I don’t expect AI to change that.”
He said people today already enjoy more leisure and a higher quality of life than in previous eras, thanks to technological advances. Still, human nature drives continued ambition and competition.
“We always want more. We think of new things to do, to create for each other, to want for ourselves. It’s like a relative game,” Altman said. “People are very focused on how they’re doing relative to other people.”
In a post-superintelligence world, he predicted people will remain busier than many currently expect. “We’re still going to complain about it, but secretly we’re going to be happy,” he added.
Altman’s view contrasts with some earlier optimism in the tech industry that generative AI would free workers from long hours. While some countries and companies have experimented with four-day workweeks without pay cuts, Altman suggested competition and rising expectations will keep filling any productivity gains with new work.
The comments come as AI continues to reshape workplaces, with companies using the technology both to increase output and, in some cases, reduce headcount.
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