Almost weekly big tech companies release new artificial intelligence (AI) models that advance the world towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) — sometimes referred to as “superintelligence.” AI is advancing so fast that policymakers can’t possibly keep up. That fact has many people worried. There have been numerous predictions that, in the not-so-distant future, humans will become obsolete in the workforce. Executives at OpenAI have openly acknowledged these concerns. They write, “In just a few years, AI has progressed from systems capable of fast, narrow tasks to models that can perform general tasks people used to need hours to do. Now, we’re beginning a transition toward superintelligence: AI systems capable of outperforming the smartest humans even when they are assisted by AI. No one knows exactly how this transition will unfold.”[1] Despite the dizzying pace of progress, OpenAI executives believe it would be unwise to simply let technology advance regardless of the effects it could have on the human workforce. They explain, “At OpenAI, we believe we should navigate it through a democratic process that gives people real power to shape the AI future they want, and prepare for a range of possible outcomes while building the capacity to adapt.”

To help navigate the AI Era, OpenAI published a 13-page “policy blueprint calling for robot taxes, a public wealth fund, and trials of a four-day workweek as part of a broad set of proposals designed to cushion the economic disruption expected from artificial intelligence.”[2] The big concern is the loss of human jobs that many pundits predict is on the horizon. The Editorial Board at the Washington Post explains, “The ramifications this technological revolution will have on labor markets is one of the most pressing questions for Americans.”[3] They add, “Too many policymakers are thinking about the issue the wrong way.”

AI and Job Losses

Although I have concerns, I continue to be sanguine about the future of human jobs. As I told Caroline Woods, a business reporter with the Schwab Network, "I have a particular view that AI is a net job creator."[4] I reiterated that sentiment during an interview with Amanda Razani, Managing Editor at Techstrong Media. I told her, “ith any transformative technology, some jobs are created and some jobs are lost. ... I'm actually very encouraged by AI's, and particularly generative AI's, ability to act as a net job creator.”[5] I’m not so naïve as to think that the transitional period we are about to experience won’t be painful for many people. It will be. Nevertheless, I believe that humanity will survive the AI Era just as it has survived past eras of technological advancement.

As the Washington Post’s Editorial Board observes, “Many politicians will simply add up the job losses with the wage gains and decide whether they think AI is a net benefit for the job market. While this approach is straightforward and seems evenhanded, it is woefully inadequate. Many people believe that there’s a fixed amount of work to be done, so changes in how the work is allocated are zero-sum. One person’s gain is another person’s loss. This is not how labor markets actually work. The amount of work is never fixed because humans’ desire for goods and services is unlimited. AI will allow for new production opportunities that weren’t possible before, which will create new jobs that didn’t exist before. Further, there’s no guarantee that a job will be automated simply because it can be.”

Analysts from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) predict that AI will reshape more jobs than it replaces. They explain, “Over the next two to three years, 50% to 55% of jobs in the US will be reshaped by AI. For many employees, this will mean that they retain the same or a similar role but face radically new expectations for how they work and what they produce. … This shift is already happening — and will pick up speed as AI adoption spreads.”[6] Like OpenAI executives, BCG analysts believe there is spectrum of outcomes for which governments, private organizations, and individuals must prepare. They explain, “Our analysis is not intended to be an unemployment forecast. It does not account for macroeconomic factors such as geopolitics or inflation, nor does it contemplate the impact of new AI breakthroughs beyond the capabilities of today’s frontier models. Moreover, our model can’t solve for powerful and influential unknowns, such as the future impact of AI on the accessibility of jobs and the speed with which the technology is adopted.”

Shaping the Future to Keep Humans First

Following the release of OpenAI’s policy suggestions, reporters from Axios interviewed OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman. He told them, “AI superintelligence is so close, so mind-bending, so disruptive that America needs a new social contract.”[7] Altman noted that there were six main features of OpenAI’s suggested new social contract. They are:

• A Public Wealth Fund. “OpenAI proposes giving every American citizen a direct stake in AI-driven economic growth through a nationally managed fund, seeded in part by AI companies themselves, that ‘could invest in diversified, long-term assets that capture growth in both AI companies and the broader set of firms adopting and deploying AI.’ This is the most radical idea in the document.”

• Robot taxes. “The document floats ‘taxes related to automated labor,’ and shifting the tax base from payroll toward capital gains and corporate income — since AI could hollow out the wage-and-payroll revenue that funds Social Security, Medicaid and SNAP.”

• A four-day workweek. “OpenAI suggests incentivizing companies and unions to run pilots of 32-hour workweeks at full pay, converting AI-driven efficiency to time back for workers — an ‘efficiency dividend’.”

• “Right to AI.” “The plan frames AI access as being as foundational as literacy, electricity and internet — and says access should be affordable for workers, small businesses, schools, libraries and underserved communities.”

• Containment playbooks for rogue AI. “In the most chilling passage, OpenAI acknowledges scenarios where dangerous AI systems ‘cannot be easily recalled’ because they're autonomous and capable of replicating themselves. Their answer: coordination that includes government.”

• Auto-triggering safety net. “The blueprint envisions tripwires tied to economic data. When AI displacement metrics hit preset thresholds, temporary increases in public support — unemployment benefits, wage insurance, cash assistance — automatically kick in. When conditions stabilize, the measures phase out.”

Journalists Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, co-founders of Axios, conclude, “The man betting everything on superintelligence is telling the world that this thing is coming so fast, and so hard, that capitalism as we know it won't be enough. Whether you believe the altruism or see the strategy, the admission alone is historic — and worth deep reflection.”

Concluding Thoughts

With so many unknowns about the future of jobs and AI, the world can look a little scary. The Washington Post’s Editorial Board concludes, “Any analysis of AI’s effect on the job market should be humble in its predictions and make sure to consider the full effect of technological advances on employment. If policymakers limit their thinking only to what currently exists, they’ll foreclose future opportunities for improving Americans’ lives.” BCG analysts note that the effects of AI will be varied across the business spectrum. They explain, “In some cases, restructurings that would have occurred regardless, as part of the normal business cycle, are likely to be attributed to AI, which will create fear at a societal level. At the same time, AI’s impact will vary significantly across companies. Some will lean into AI to drive innovation and growth, while others will focus on efficiency and automation. This could lead to very different talent strategies, with some reducing headcount while others hire aggressively.” In the end, companies need to remember that they need customers to survive and customers need income to buy. Exactly how tomorrow’s marketplace will function is unclear; however, keeping humans first as technology advances is a good idea.

OpenAI executives put it this way, “We offer these ideas not as fixed answers but as a starting point for a broader conversation about how to ensure that AI benefits everyone. That conversation should be inclusive and ongoing — engaging governments, companies, researchers, civil society, communities, and families — and should be mediated through democratic processes that give people real power to shape the AI future they want.”

Footnotes

[1] Staff, “Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First,” OpenAI, April 2026.

[2] Colleen Cabili, “OpenAI calls for robot taxes and a public wealth fund to cushion AI job losses,” Quartz, 6 April 2026.

[3] Editorial Board, “What most predictions miss about AI job loss,” The Washington Post, 16 April 2026.

[4] Caroline Woods, "Enterra CEO: 'A.I. is a Net Job Creator'," Schwab Network, 12 August 2024.

[5] Amanda Razani, "AI is a Job Creator – Techstrong AI Podcast EP49," Techstron.tv, 2 February 2025.

[6] Greg Emerson, Matthew Kropp, Julie Bedard, Lisa Krayer, Viacheslav Romanov, Megan Hsu, Luis Sanchez Boedo, and Diya Mohnot, “AI Will Reshape More Jobs Than It Replaces,” Boston Consulting Group, 3 April 2026.

[7] Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, “Behind the Curtain: Sam's superintelligence New Deal,” Axios, 6 April 2026.