OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Issues Stark Warning About AI’s Impact on Jobs, Reveals Details on $500 Billion Stargate

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a direct warning about the future of work, stating that artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots will reshape the global job market faster than any previous technological shift in history.

Speaking to Bloomberg on "The Circuit with Emily Chang," Altman compared this transformation to past eras where technology both eliminated and created jobs-but emphasized that this time, speed is the defining factor.

"The thing that is different this time is just the rate with which it looks like it will happen," Altman said.

He noted that humanoid robots will soon arrive and perform many existing human jobs, adding that society has not yet fully grasped the scale of this upcoming disruption.

"I don't think the world has really had the humanoid robots moment yet, and I don't think that's very far away," he added.

Altman predicted that by 2025, AI agents will be capable of completing many tasks currently handled by humans, making AI job disruption a reality much sooner than expected.

Inside the $500 Billion Stargate Project

The interview also covered OpenAI's key role in the Stargate Project-a $500 billion infrastructure initiative aiming to revolutionize AI development in the U.S. The massive project includes partners like Microsoft, Nvidia, Oracle, Arm, and SoftBank.

"It's a complex supply chain with a lot of partners and obviously a lot of capital," Altman explained.

The first Stargate data center is under construction in Texas and will be dedicated to training OpenAI's next-generation models. The project also includes building energy plants, data centers, and power lines across the country over the next four years.

The name "Stargate" was inspired by the original layout of OpenAI's early data centers, which reminded the team of the sci-fi franchise.

Why OpenAI Needs Stargate: AI Demand Is Exploding

Altman said OpenAI had to borrow computing power from its research wing to meet public demand, especially when AI-generated Ghibli-style images went viral.

"Making an image is not a low compute task," Altman said. "We had to slow down some other features."

While Microsoft is OpenAI's biggest backer, Altman revealed that no single partner can meet the company's massive compute needs. This makes Stargate essential for OpenAI's future.

Responding to DeepSeek and Industry Competition

Altman also addressed competition from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, which claims to have created more cost-efficient large language models (LLMs). While he praised the team's talent, Altman dismissed suggestions that they had surpassed OpenAI's technology.

"We're constantly improving-whether it's better chips, smarter algorithms, or cleaner energy."

He hinted that DeepSeek might have used OpenAI's models via distillation, a method to train smaller models from larger ones.

Looking Ahead: Policy, Profitability & Political Attention

Altman touched on OpenAI's business model, admitting the company's future depends on whether users continue to pay for AI services.

On AI policy, he noted former President Donald Trump's surprising grasp of the technology's impact, saying:

"The decisions he will make may be among the most important anyone has made about AI."

The Stargate data center in Texas marks the first step in what may become the largest AI infrastructure buildout in history, setting the stage for a new era in global technology, economy, and labor markets.