OpenAI’s chairman says ChatGPT is ‘obviating’ his own job—and says AI is like an ‘Iron Man suit’ for workers

AI·nologyOpenAI’s chairman says ChatGPT is ‘obviating’ his own job—and says AI is an ‘Iron Man suit’ for workersBy Marco Quiroz-GutierrezBy Marco Quiroz-GutierrezReporterMarco Quiroz-GutierrezReporterRole: ReporterMarco Quiroz-Gutierrez is a reporter for Fortune covering general news.SEE FULL BIO Bret Taylor, Chairman of OpenAI and co-founder and chief executive officer of startup Sierra.Michaela Vatcheva—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesOpenAI chairman and startup founder Bret Taylor is optimistic the future of AI and its impact on ductivity, even if he worries it may redefine what a computer grammer is

He noted AI is an “Iron Man suit” for workers and it is already affecting gramming, with more changes and a tough transition to come for those affected

Over two decades, Bret Taylor has helped develop some of the most important nologies in the world, including Google Maps, but it’s AI that he says has brought a new inflection point for society that could, as a side effect, do away with his own job

In an interview on the Acquired podcast published this week, Taylor noted that despite his success as a executive, which includes stints as co-CEO of Salesforce, chief nology officer at Facebook (now Meta), and now chairman of OpenAI, he prefers to identify as a computer grammer

Yet, with AI’s ability to line gramming and even replace some software-development tasks and workers, he wonders if computer grammers in general will go the way of the original “computers,” humans who once were charged with math calculations before the age of electronic calculators

Taylor said the anguish over his self-identity as a grammer comes from the fact that AI is such a ductivity booster, it’s as if everyone who uses it were wearing a super suit. “The thing I self identify with (being a computer grammer) is being obviated by this nology

So, it’s the reason why I think these tools are being embraced so quickly is they truly are an Iron Man suit for all of us as individuals,” he said

He added this era of early AI development will later be seen as “an inflection point in society and nology,” and just as important as the invention of the internet was in the 20th century

He noted that it’s doubtful an employee is being as ductive as they could be if they’re not using AI tools. “You want people to of adopt these tools because they want to and you of need to of ‘voluntell’ them to do it too

You know, it’s I don’t think we can succeed as a company if we’re not the poster child for automation and everything that we do,” he said

AI isn’t just software, Taylor said, and he believes the nology will upend the internet and beyond

While he’s optimistic an AI future, Taylor noted the deep changes posed by the may take some getting used to, especially for the people whose jobs are being up by AI, which includes computer grammers himself. “You’re going to have this period of transition where it’s saying, , ‘How I’ve come to identify my own worth, either as a person or as an employee, has been disrupted.’ That’s very uncomfortable

And that transition isn’t always easy,” he said.Introducing the 2025 Fortune Global 500, the definitive ranking of the biggest companies in the world

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