In a recent interview, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shared his views on the changing return on investment of traditional university degrees. He pointed out that the return on traditional university degrees will decline faster than in the past decade, although this decline will not be as rapid as theoretically predicted. He emphasized that the returns on education in the future will be affected by the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Learning, Painting, Education

Image source note: The image is AI-generated, and the image licensing service provider is Midjourney

Altman said that although many people may think that the returns will mainly benefit a small number of people working in AI-related fields, he does not agree with this view. He believes that people who are skilled in using AI will benefit across various industries, and the returns will be widely distributed in unexpected ways. AI is not just a tool for improving work efficiency, but it can also help people explore new fields and innovation opportunities. Altman pointed out that the future job market will be full of possibilities, and many people may start businesses or improve their existing job performance through AI technology.

To illustrate this point more clearly, Altman recalled an experience from his childhood: he once taught elders how to use Google search. At that time, many elders found the simple search logic confusing, but through learning, they gradually mastered the technology and benefited from it. This example shows that the adoption of new technologies requires a certain learning process, and the rapid growth of AI is due to its ease of use and the practical value users can quickly experience.

When talking about the future development of AI, Altman said that tools like ChatGPT have gained user favor quickly because of their simplicity and ease of use. As more and more people master and apply these AI tools, the future of work and life will be completely transformed.

Key Points:  

🌐 The return on traditional university degrees will decline rapidly, but not quickly to zero.  

💡 People who are skilled in using AI will gain widespread returns, affecting all industries.  

🚀 The adoption of AI technology will provide people with more opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment.