Sam Altman's admission about feeling sad as he watched the incredible advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) tools after using his own company's AI tools has struck a nerve across the tech world. A new kind of workplace anxiety has crystallized: feeling obsolete not in spite of your skills, but because your tools have become too good. And as stories of panic attacks, disorientation, and quiet grief over disappearing skills pile up, it is increasingly clear Altman is far from alone.
Artificial intelligence continues to make startling advances while becoming ever more integrated into millions of people's lives. But as America's most valuable companies race to out-compete each other in a high-stakes, extremely costly race to dominate the field, many fundamental questions remain unanswered. Foremost among them: Will AI actually be as disruptive an economic force as its adherents say? To get some perspective on that question, I spoke with Professor Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor who frequently writes and comments about AI and its applications.