Sam Altman predicts AI will change education in 18 years, colleges will become obsolete: ‘My son will never be smarter than…'
Speaking on the This Past Weekend podcast with comedian Theo Von, Altman said he doubts his own child will pursue a college education. When asked if he thought his child would attend university, he said, 'Probably not.'
Altman had dropped out of Stanford University in 2005 before becoming a tech billionaire.
Altman emphasised on the effect that AI will have on how future generations learn and grow. 'In that world, education is going to feel very different. I already think college is, like, maybe not working great for most people, but I think if you fast-forward 18 years, it's going to look like a very, very different thing.'
Altman said that children born today will grow up in a world where AI will always be smarter than they are, and embedded into every product and service they encounter. He said the fundamental change will redefine the very purpose and structure of education.
He also expressed concern for older generations. 'I actually think the kids will be fine; I'm worried about the parents,' he said.
'If you look at the history of the world, when there's a new technology, people that grow up with it, they are always fluent. They always figure out what to do. They always learn the new kinds of jobs. But if you are like a 50-year-old and you have to kind of learn how to do things in a very different way, that doesn't always work,' he added.
Altman also addressed the increasing impact of tech on children's mental health, including the addictive nature of short-form videos. However, he highlighted that AI doesn't mean the end of education or work, comparing it to the invention of the calculator.
'I'm sure the same thing happened with the calculator before, and now this is just a new tool that exists in the tool chain,' he said.
While Altman acknowledged that AI will inevitably take over some jobs, he believes that many more jobs and opportunities will emerge. He also said that an AI CEO could one day lead OpenAI, transforming the very job he currently holds.
Altman added that human creativity, drive, and social nature would continue to shape progress. 'In the same way people from the time of the Industrial Revolution might have viewed modern humans as leading a relatively easy existence, looking forward 100 years from now, we may well think the same thing,' he said.
'I think it's great that those people in the past think we have it so easy. I think it's great that we think those people in the future have it so easy'.
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