Prime Highlights:

• Sam Altman predicts machines could become smarter than humans by 2030.
• Technology may handle up to 30–40% of today’s work in the near future.

Key Facts:

• Big advances could happen as early as 2026, reshaping workplaces and industries.
• Humans will continue to guide and decide how technology is used, even as it boosts productivity and innovation.

Key Background:

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made his boldest prediction about the future of technology, saying machines could become smarter than humans by 2030. He said the rapid progress in the past three years has brought this milestone closer than expected.

Altman highlighted that OpenAI’s newest models are already performing at levels exceeding his own capabilities, and he anticipates even faster advancements in the coming years. “I would be very surprised if, by the end of this decade, we do not have models capable of performing tasks beyond human ability,” he said.

Altman also said that in the near future, technology could take over 30–40% of today’s work, changing how workplaces and industries operate. While machines cannot do everything humans can yet, he believes big advances could happen as soon as 2026, with progress speeding up after that.

He also stressed the importance of human judgment. “Even with powerful tools, it’s still important to understand what people want and what will be useful,” he said, showing that humans will continue to play an important role.

The company is investing heavily in infrastructure to support this growth. In Abilene, Texas, OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank are developing an 800-acre data center complex as part of a larger national project. Additionally, plans for five new data center complexes across the U.S. are underway to meet the growing demand. Altman noted that even these significant investments will only serve a fraction of the technology’s requirements.

Looking ahead, Altman expressed hope that machines could help make discoveries humans cannot achieve on their own. “In a few years, it will be possible for machines to contribute to scientific discoveries in ways that were not possible before,” he said, calling this the start of a new era in technology.

This depicts a future where technology enhances productivity, improves innovation, and generates new opportunities in the industries, and human beings still remain in control of the way it is applied.