Will artificial intelligence produce such well-being that it will lead to a drastic reduction in working hours? It is a topic that has been debated for some time, linked to the increase in productivity that technology will bring – and is already partly bringing.
A few years after the explosion of the phenomenon, however, this scenario has not materialized and, according to Sam Altman, is unlikely to happen in the future. During an interview given to the podcast Relentlessthe CEO of OpenAI highlighted that in history every technological leap has never led to a general reduction in hours worked and does not believe that artificial intelligence will be an exception.
“Technology has been promising people for a long time now that they’re going to work less and have all this free time,” Altman said. “But somehow we never see the promise of the four-hour work week come to fruition on a large scale in society. And I don’t expect AI to change that.”
According to Altman, the reason is linked more to human nature than to the limits of technology. While acknowledging that the quality of life and free time today are higher than in any other historical era, he maintains that people continually tend to raise their expectations. “We always want more. Let’s think about new things to do, to create for each other, to desire for ourselves. It’s like a comparison game. People are very focused on how they do compared to others,” the CEO said.
In his vision, the desire to compete, create and feel useful represents a fundamental element of human behavior. For this reason, even in a scenario characterized by so-called “superintelligence”, where many current jobs could be automated by AI, people will continue to look for new tasks to do. “I think we’re all going to be a lot busier than we thought we would be in a post-superintelligence world. We’re going to keep complaining, but ultimately we’re going to be happy about it,” Altman concluded.
The OpenAI CEO’s statements are part of a broader debate on the relationship between automation and employment. In recent years, numerous observers have highlighted how the productivity benefits guaranteed by artificial intelligence have not automatically translated into a reduction in working hours. On the contrary, in many contexts the time saved is used to carry out further activities or increase production objectives.
A different position has been expressed, for example, by US Senator Bernie Sanders, according to whom productivity gains achieved thanks to AI should translate into a better work-life balance. According to Sanders, time saved through AI tools should be returned to workers instead of being used to assign new tasks.
In parallel, several countries are experimenting with alternative work organization models. The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan are among the nations where companies and public organizations have launched programs based on four-day working week while keeping the salary unchanged.
The results collected from an international aggregate study indicate generally positive effects. During the experimental periods, company revenues increased on average by 8%, while among employees there was a reduction in fatigue of 10% and stress of approximately 35%. On the productivity front, the data shows a maintenance of previous levels or even an increasewith Microsoft Japan recording a 40% increase in productivity in one of the trials.
