Sam Altman Points Out Layoffs Disguised via 'AI Washing'

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman pointed out that some companies are engaging in 'AI washing', falsely claiming that workforce reductions unrelated to AI are due to the impact of AI technology.

He mentioned at the India AI Impact Summit that while actual AI-driven job displacement does exist, there are also cases where companies blame AI for layoffs conducted for other business reasons.

Currently, conflicting data and forecasts coexist regarding AI's impact on the labor market:

• NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) Study: About 90% of executives in major countries including the US, UK, and Germany said AI has not affected employment over the past 3 years.
• Anthropic CEO: Warned of the possibility of large-scale job losses in white-collar occupations.
• Snap CEO: Announced that about 16% of the workforce was laid off due to AI.

According to data from Yale Budget Lab, no significant changes in unemployment rates or job composition have been observed in occupations with high AI exposure since the launch of ChatGPT until now. Altman predicted that the real impact of AI will begin to be felt within the next few years, and that, as with previous technological revolutions, new forms of jobs will also emerge.