In a fascinating conversation between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and interviewer Rowan Cheung, the topic turns to one of the biggest questions of our time, how artificial intelligence will reshape the world of work

Cheung observes that the internet era created a billion new jobs, sparking entire industries that didn’t exist before

Yet, with AI, while new jobs will undoubtedly emerge, it’s harder to imagine what they’ll look like

The key difference, he notes, is that before AI creates new jobs, it will first disrupt and impact billions of existing ones

Altman reflects on this, pointing out that if people from the past could see the work many of us do today, coding, designing, analysing data, or creating digital content, they might not even recognise it as “real” work compared to something tangible, like farming

What we consider “work” has always evolved with technology, and the rise of AI will accelerate that evolution even further

He concludes that our definition of work and even the social contract that underpins it, will need to change

Sam suggests there needs to be global agreement on work and AI

As machines take on more tasks once thought uniquely human, society must rethink not just employment, but purpose, productivity, and value itself

Conclusion:
The AI revolution isn’t just about new tools; it’s about a fundamental redefinition of what it means to work and contribute

Just as the industrial and internet revolutions reshaped economies and identities, AI will force us to rethink both and perhaps, in doing so, redefine what it means to be human in the age of intelligence