In a moment that cut through the usual optimism surrounding artificial intelligence, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman delivered a stark - and deeply polarizing - reflection on the nature of modern work. Speaking at OpenAI’s DevDay, Altman didn’t merely predict which jobs AI might automate; he questioned whether many of them deserved to exist at all. AI and the Illusion of Work: Altman’s Controversial Claim Sparks Global Debate. His remarks began with a historical thought experiment: if a farmer from fifty years ago were shown today’s economy, Altman suggested, that farmer would likely dismiss much of what we do as “not real work.” To the farmer, labor meant producing food - sustaining life through tangible effort. In contrast, much of today’s professional activity, Altman implied, resembles “playing a game to fill your time,” lacking the direct, essential utility of agriculture or craftsmanship. The comment quickly drew criticism, not for its technological foresight, but for its moral u...