Sam Altman says AI won't deliver shorter work weeks because humans secretly enjoy being busy
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Sam Altman says AI won't shorten the workweek because humans secretly enjoy being busy
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. A hot potato: Much like a cure for cancer, the shorter workweeks we were told AI would enable remain elusive. OpenAI boss Sam Altman has now explained why people aren't working four-hour days: it seems that we just love to work and compete with others, apparently. One of the many benefits promised early in the generative AI boom was that it would boost productivity to the point where most of us could work fewer hours per week (and still be paid the same, presumably). That hasn't happened, of course - unless you count all the people who've been laid off because of AI and now work no hours each week. Altman gave his take on this topic during an interview with Ti Morse on the Relentless podcast. "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," he added. "And I don't expect AI to change that." Altman says that humanity today has more leisure time and a better quality of life than any other period in history, thanks to technology, but that's not enough for a lot of people. "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. People are very focused on how they're doing relative to other people," the CEO said. Altman believes that human's expectations rise alongside their capabilities. When technology makes existing work easier, we invent new products, ambitions, experiences, and problems to pursue. Beyond money and status, he thinks people have a genuine desire to create, contribute and feel useful. That motivation will continue even when AI can perform much of today's work. "I think we're all going to be much busier than we thought we were supposed to be in a post-superintelligence world. We're still going to complain about it, but secretly we're going to be happy," Altman concluded. Altman does seem to base his assumption on everyone having incredibly satisfying careers that offer a wealth of creative outlets. It's hard to imagine people working soul-crushing, monotonous, depressing jobs not wanting to work fewer hours for the same pay each week. Others have also questioned why, if AI is making us all super productive, we're not working shorter workweeks. Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience last year, Senator Bernie Sanders said that the extra time that workers save through the use of AI tools should be given back to them - not filled with extra tasks. The UK, France, Japan, and Germany are among the countries where companies and government organizations have been experimenting with four-day weeks without reducing workers' pay. An aggregated global study found that company revenue was up 8% during these four-day weeks, while among workers, fatigue was down 10% and stress was down around 35%. The study also found that overall productivity stayed the same or even increased - by 40%, in the case of Microsoft Japan. Altman recently claimed that another AI prediction hasn't come to pass: the jobs apocalypse. But that probably depends on your definition of an apocalypse.
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Sam Altman Says Even the Power of AI Will Never Lead to a Shorter Work Week
Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has some bad news to share: AI will never lead to a shorter work week -- despite having already ushered in the singularity, in his dubious telling. During an appearance on the "Relentless" podcast, the billionaire reflected that "somehow we never get the promise of the four-hour work week at mass scale in society," despite tech "promising people that they're going to work less and they're going to have all this leisure." "And I don't expect AI to change that," Altman added. Instead of striving for a healthier work-life balance, one of the rare positive -- albeit entirely hypothetical -- outcomes of the business world's current obsession with generative AI, the CEO said we'd ultimately be happier if we keep our heads down and keep grinding. "I think we're all going to be much busier than we thought we were supposed to be in a post-superintelligence world," he said during the podcast. "We're still going to complain about it, but secretly we're going to be happy." Tech executives have long promised that work could soon be a thing of the past thanks to extremely capable AI models taking care of all the menial labor, allowing us to focus on doing what we love instead. Altman has a far more sobering take on the matter, asserting that we're all rats in a maze and that we secretly love it. The CEO's comments are a perfect example of how tech leaders are significantly shift their narrative. Instead of freeing up workers to pursue what they're actually passionate about by letting AI do all the brunt work, they're now saying, the tech will simply empower them to do more. In practice, that means AI is forcing employees to work harder, not less, an "intensification" of roles that's already leading to widespread burnout. Then there's the ever-present threat of being laid off as business leaders vow to replace jobs with AI, a reality that has devastating psychological impacts, according to psychiatrists. Those who remain employed are often shouldered with the responsibilities of their departed coworkers, compounding their woes. It's a sad predicament that even those at the forefront of AI don't envision the situation getting any better as the tech improves. While lawmakers like Vermont senator Bernie Sanders continue to push for a four-day work week facilitated by AI, tech leaders have seemingly moved on from the idea. Besides, to assume that the increasing workload brought on by the advent of AI will ultimately make us "happy" feels like a slap in the face coming from a man who's played a major role in eviscerating the job market and making life more expensive. More on Sam Altman: Sam Altman Announces That the Singularity Has Arrived
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman claims AI won't lead to shorter workweeks despite earlier industry promises. Speaking on the Relentless podcast, he argued that humans will remain busy in a post-superintelligence era because people constantly want more and compete with others. His comments contrast sharply with studies showing four-day workweeks boost productivity and worker well-being.
Sam Altman Dismisses Promise of AI-Shortened Workweeks
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has delivered a sobering message about one of AI's most tantalizing promises: the technology won't lead to a shorter work week for most people. During an interview on the Relentless podcast with Ti Morse, Altman explained that despite decades of technological progress promising more leisure time, "somehow we never get the promise of the four-hour workweek at mass scale in society." He added bluntly: "And I don't expect AI to change that."
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Source: Futurism
The comments mark a significant shift from earlier industry rhetoric suggesting AI-driven productivity gains would free workers from mundane tasks. Instead, Altman argues that human expectations rise alongside capabilities, creating an endless cycle of new ambitions and work. "We always want more. We think of new things to do, to create for each other, to want for ourselves," he said, describing work as "a relative game" where people focus on how they're doing compared to others.
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Post-Superintelligence Era Will Keep Workers Busy
Altman's vision of a post-superintelligence era contradicts hopes that advanced AI would usher in more balanced lifestyles. "I think we're all going to be much busier than we thought we were supposed to be in a post-superintelligence world," he predicted. "We're still going to complain about it, but secretly we're going to be happy."
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This assertion assumes workers find deep satisfaction in their careers, overlooking those in monotonous or soul-crushing jobs who might genuinely prefer fewer working hours for the same pay.1
The reality on the ground tells a different story. AI won't shorten the workweek because it's already intensifying roles rather than reducing them, leading to widespread job burnout among employees.
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Workers who survive layoffs often shoulder responsibilities of departed coworkers, compounding stress levels. The threat of job displacement hangs over many industries as business leaders increasingly vow to replace positions with AI systems, creating devastating psychological impacts according to psychiatrists.2
Four-Day Workweeks Show Promising Results
Despite Altman's pessimism about AI's societal trade-offs, real-world experiments with four-day workweeks paint a more optimistic picture. Countries including the UK, France, Japan, and Germany have tested reduced schedules without cutting pay. An aggregated global study found company revenue increased 8% during these trials, while worker fatigue dropped 10% and stress decreased around 35%. Overall productivity stayed the same or even increased—by 40% in Microsoft Japan's case.
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Source: TechSpot
These findings on worker well-being challenge the notion that constant busyness equals happiness. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has advocated that time saved through AI tools should benefit workers directly, not simply fill their schedules with additional tasks.
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His push for legislation reflects growing concern about AI's real-world impact on labor conditions.Related Stories
Tech Leaders Shift Narrative on AI and Work
Altman's comments exemplify how tech executives are reframing their messaging. Rather than positioning AI as liberating workers from menial labor to pursue passions, the narrative now suggests the technology will simply enable people to accomplish more within existing schedules.
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This shift comes as the promised jobs apocalypse materializes differently than anticipated—not through sudden mass unemployment, but through gradual displacement and work intensification that leaves remaining employees stretched thin.1
The assumption that increased workloads will ultimately make people "happy" feels disconnected from workers facing burnout and economic pressure, particularly coming from someone who's shaped the very AI systems transforming the job market.
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As human expectations continue evolving alongside technological capabilities, the gap between AI's promised benefits and its actual implementation grows increasingly apparent.References
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