Sam Altman Says AI Will Not Shorten Workweeks

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, stated that artificial intelligence is unlikely to result in a widespread four-day or four-hour workweek. Speaking on the Relentless podcast, Altman argued that while AI will boost productivity, human ambition and a competitive drive lead people to seek new goals rather than more leisure time.

Altman noted that technology has historically promised shifts toward shorter workweeks that never materialized on a mass scale. He explained that people constantly raise their ambitions and compare their success relative to others, describing human desire as a relative game.

Because competition drives the economy, Altman concluded that AI-driven productivity gains will likely raise expectations and reshape the nature of work rather than reduce total working hours.