Sam Altman Warns: AI Could Replace 40% of Jobs by 2030 as GPT-5 Already Surpasses Human Intelligence

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has issued a stark warning about artificial intelligence's impact on global employment, suggesting AI could replace up to 40% of jobs by 2030.

During his address at the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network in Berlin, Altman revealed that approximately 1% of human tasks are already being performed by AI systems. He projected this figure could dramatically increase to between 30-40% over the coming years.

Altman emphasized the historical evolution of employment, noting, "Jobs change all the time. If you examine the occupations from three decades ago, many no longer exist today, while positions that were unimaginable years ago are now commonplace."

The 40-year-old tech leader referenced a statistic indicating that typically half of society's jobs transform every 75 years. However, he believes this transformation will accelerate significantly in the AI era. Making a remarkable claim about current AI capabilities, Altman stated, "GPT-5 is already smarter than me and many others."

While acknowledging such technological progress represents a significant milestone for science, Altman highlighted the dual nature of advanced AI. These systems could potentially unlock new discoveries and solutions beyond human capability, but simultaneously trigger widespread job displacement as artificial intelligence assumes tasks currently performed by humans.

"By the decade's end, if we don't have extraordinarily capable models doing things humans cannot, I'd be very surprised," Altman predicted.

In a recent appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, Altman identified programming and customer service as areas likely to be first disrupted by AI. He contrasted this with professions he believes will remain predominantly human, stating, "A job that I feel way less certain about regarding its future is computer programming. Conversely, I'm confident that roles like nursing will not be significantly impacted."