OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking at Asia-Pacific events, walked back dramatic predictions of an AI-driven jobs apocalypse, arguing that while specific categories like customer service will largely disappear, a broad economy-wide employment collapse is unlikely. His softer framing aligns with current data: the Yale Budget Lab and Brookings Institution have found no meaningful change in unemployment or occupational mix through early 2026 for workers in high-AI-exposure roles. Altman frames the disruption as a slow rolling reshuffle rather than a sudden rupture, even as OpenAI's own policy document calls for taxes on automated labour and a national wealth fund, presupposing significant disruption ahead.
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