AI leaders suggest 'optional' work on horizon: Is it just a pipe dream?

The revolutionary effect that major tech leaders predict artificial intelligence will likely have on jobs is a largely nebulous assertion, industry experts said.

In recent months, prominent tech figures ranging from xAI’s Elon Musk to OpenAI’s Sam Altman have suggested that in a “benign” scenario, AI will make most jobs “not real work,” lead to a society where labor is “optional,” and create a world where a universal basic or high income is possible. The concepts appear to be built on the premise that technology will be able to automate tasks on a mass scale, boosting productivity to unprecedented levels and creating a future of “generally sustainable abundance,” as Musk put it during a podcast with Joe Rogan in the fall.