OpenAI CEO Sam Altman didn’t mince words in a recent conversation on The Tucker Carlson Show. He said many customer support jobs handled over phones and computers are squarely in AI’s firing line, bluntly adding that such work is “better done by an AI.”
On coding, Altman struck a more cautious tone. AI is changing how software gets built, but rather than wiping out developers, he argued it’s making them faster and more effective. The programmer’s role is evolving, not disappearing.
He also pointed to nursing as one profession AI can’t replace. Human empathy, trust, and presence are essential to patient care—qualities machines simply can’t replicate.
Altman described the coming years as a “punctuated equilibrium moment” where entire categories of work could be reshaped in a short time. Still, he believes the upheaval will also create new roles we can’t yet imagine.
To navigate this shift, he urged reskilling, education reform, and smarter integration of AI into human jobs. Some governments are already moving: in the UAE, AI will be added to school curricula starting in 2025 to better prepare the next generation.
