The widespread expectation that artificial intelligence would dramatically shorten the workweek is unlikely to become reality, according to Sam Altman, who argues that advances in technology tend to create new forms of work rather than eliminate the need for it.

Speaking on the Relentless podcast hosted by Ti Morse, the OpenAI chief executive said history suggests that productivity gains have consistently led people to pursue new goals instead of working substantially fewer hours.

“Technology, for a long time, has been promising people that they’re going to work less and they’re going to have all this leisure,” Altman said.

“But somehow we never get the promise of the four-hour workweek at mass scale in society. And I don’t expect AI to change that.”

Altman’s comments come as businesses across industries rapidly deploy generative AI to automate routine tasks, assist with coding, analyze data, generate content and improve customer service. While these tools have boosted productivity in many workplaces, they have not yet produced the widespread reduction in working hours that some technology advocates predicted when the AI boom began.

Instead, many companies have used productivity gains to expand output, accelerate product development or reduce labor costs, while workers often find themselves taking on additional responsibilities rather than working fewer hours.

Altman noted that technology has already given people more leisure time and a higher standard of living than previous generations, but said human ambition tends to grow alongside technological progress.

“We always want more. We think of new things to do, to create for each other, to want for ourselves. It’s like a relative game. People are very focused on how they’re doing relative to other people,” he said.

According to Altman, technological breakthroughs increase people’s capacity to create rather than diminishing their desire to work. As AI makes existing tasks easier, individuals and businesses develop new products, services and ambitions that generate fresh demand for labor.

He also suggested that work provides more than income, arguing that many people seek purpose, creativity and a sense of contribution alongside financial rewards.

“I think we’re all going to be much busier than we thought we were supposed to be in a post-superintelligence world. We’re still going to complain about it, but secretly we’re going to be happy,” Altman said.

The remarks add to an ongoing debate over how AI will reshape labor markets. While supporters believe the technology will free workers from repetitive tasks and enable them to focus on higher-value activities, critics contend that the benefits have so far accrued more to employers through higher productivity and lower labor costs than to employees through shorter workweeks or higher wages.

Concerns have also grown over AI’s impact on employment, as companies in technology, finance, media and professional services increasingly automate functions previously performed by humans.

Not everyone shares Altman’s view of how productivity gains should be distributed.

During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience last year, Bernie Sanders argued that workers should directly benefit from AI-driven productivity improvements by working fewer hours without a reduction in pay, rather than using the time savings to complete additional work.

Outside the United States, governments and businesses have continued experimenting with reduced working hours. Companies and public-sector organizations in countries including the United Kingdom, France, Japan and Germany have tested four-day workweeks while maintaining full salaries.

Results from several trials have suggested that shorter workweeks do not necessarily reduce business performance. An aggregated international study found participating organizations recorded an average 8% increase in revenue during four-day workweek trials. Workers also reported lower levels of fatigue and stress, while productivity generally remained stable or improved.

One of the most widely cited examples came from Microsoft’s Japan operation, where a four-day workweek pilot reported a roughly 40% increase in productivity alongside reductions in electricity consumption and office-related costs.

However, the differing perspectives have only fueled a broader question confronting businesses and policymakers as AI adoption accelerates: whether the technology’s productivity gains will primarily translate into stronger corporate profits and economic growth, or eventually be shared with workers through shorter hours, higher wages or improved workplace flexibility.

OpenAI’s Altman Says AI Data Centers Belong In Remote Deserts As Industry Faces Growing Local Opposition

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has suggested that the next generation of artificial intelligence data centers should be built in remote desert locations rather than near residential communities, acknowledging mounting public opposition to the infrastructure underpinning the AI boom.

Speaking on the Invest Like The Best podcast released Tuesday, Altman said he understands why communities are increasingly resistant to hosting AI data centers, even as demand for computing capacity continues to surge, and technological advances are making these facilities cleaner and more efficient.

“I understand emotionally why people don’t want data centers in their backyard in the same way that I don’t really want a nuclear power plant next to my house, even though I know it’s a super safe thing,” Altman said.

Unlike factories, offices or logistics hubs that benefit from proximity to customers or workers, Altman said that AI computing facilities can operate almost anywhere with sufficient power, connectivity and cooling infrastructure.

“We should just go put it off in the desert, around no one where no one wants to be,” he said. “This is fine. The AI system is very happy to be there.”

An OpenAI spokesperson later clarified that Altman’s comments reflected the idea that AI data centers are uniquely location-flexible compared with many other forms of economic activity, provided they have access to adequate electricity, networking infrastructure and other essential utilities.

His remarks come as technology companies embark on one of the largest infrastructure buildouts in modern history. Hyperscalers, including Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta, alongside AI developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, are collectively investing hundreds of billions of dollars to construct massive AI campuses filled with advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) capable of training and running increasingly sophisticated AI models.

Industry analysts expect annual AI-related capital expenditure to approach $1 trillion within the next few years, underscoring the unprecedented scale of the buildout.

That investment wave has transformed data centers into one of the most strategically important assets in the AI economy. Rather than competing solely through software, leading AI companies are increasingly competing based on access to computing power, electricity, and specialized semiconductor infrastructure.

However, the rapid expansion has also triggered growing resistance from local communities across the United States.

Residents and environmental groups have raised concerns over the enormous electricity requirements of AI facilities, increased water consumption for cooling systems, land use, construction impacts, diesel backup generators and persistent noise from cooling equipment. Utilities have also warned that the explosion in AI-related electricity demand could strain regional power grids and increase costs for other consumers if new generation capacity fails to keep pace.

Altman argued that many of these criticisms are becoming less applicable as technology evolves. He pointed to improvements in cooling systems, particularly the industry’s shift toward closed-loop liquid cooling technologies that continuously recycle water instead of relying on large-scale evaporation.

“For example, years ago, we were evaporating water to cool these systems. They did tremendous amounts of water. And now we use these closed-loop systems, and a modern data center uses only as much water as an office building would for the kitchen, the bathrooms, and whatever,” he said.

This comes amid a broader industry effort to counter criticism over AI’s environmental footprint. Data center operators are increasingly deploying direct liquid cooling, advanced heat recovery systems and water-recycling technologies as newer AI chips consume significantly more power than previous generations of processors.

Altman also argued that the industry’s energy mix is becoming cleaner as operators increasingly pair AI infrastructure with renewable energy and nuclear power rather than fossil fuel generation.

“On power, we are moving from energy sources that are burning fossil fuels to systems that are going to be powered by solar, nuclear,” he said.

Securing reliable electricity has become one of the defining challenges of the AI race. Major technology companies have signed long-term power purchase agreements, invested in renewable energy projects and, increasingly, backed nuclear power initiatives to guarantee enough electricity for future AI workloads. Several companies are also exploring small modular reactors (SMRs) as a long-term solution to meet AI’s rapidly growing energy needs.

Altman emphasized the sheer scale of modern AI infrastructure, noting that the electricity flowing through a single advanced data center can rival the power consumption of an entire small city.

“The energy that flows through one data center could power a small city,” he said.

To help the public better understand these facilities, Altman suggested organizing tours of AI data centers.

“It is one thing to say, it is another thing to see a photo or a video of, and then it’s a whole other thing to just stand up and be like, ‘Oh man, this is an unbelievable scale,'” he said.

Apple customers in the United States will soon be able to lease an iPhone for as little as $17.99 per month, as the technology giant rolls out a new financing program aimed at making its devices more affordable while encouraging users to upgrade more frequently.

The new offering, called Apple Upgrade, is being launched in partnership with Klarna, one of the world’s largest buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers. The program will be available through Apple’s retail stores and online platform, giving customers an alternative to paying the full upfront cost of increasingly expensive devices.

The initiative comes as Apple prepares for another product launch cycle amid expectations that iPhone prices will rise this year because of higher component costs, particularly memory chips, and broader inflationary pressures across the consumer electronics supply chain.

Customers who pass a soft credit check can lease an iPhone for one or two years, while Apple Watches will also be available under similar terms. Macs and iPads can be leased for two or three years, broadening the company’s subscription-like approach beyond its flagship smartphone.

Unlike traditional financing, the program is structured as a lease, meaning customers must return the device after the lease expires unless they choose to purchase it through an additional payment or upgrade to a newer model. Apple said no security deposit will be required. Klarna will not charge late fees, although leases will be terminated after three consecutive months of missed payments.

The launch follows Apple’s decision last month to raise starting prices for Macs and iPads by at least $100, with some premium configurations increasing by more than $1,000, citing a global memory shortage. Industry analysts expect similar pricing pressure to extend to this year’s iPhone lineup, making monthly payment options increasingly attractive for consumers.

Rather than focusing on a higher sticker price, leasing allows Apple to market its devices through lower monthly payments, potentially reducing consumer resistance to premium-priced products.

“Most of Apple’s consumers, especially in the U.S. and other developed markets, are buying devices on installment plans or trade-ins, so we can expect to see much more aggressive offers,” Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC, told CNBC after Apple signaled price increases in June.

The move is seen as part of Apple’s broader effort to generate more predictable revenue from its hardware business. Investors have long argued that expanding installment and leasing options could smooth Apple’s earnings by reducing the seasonality associated with annual iPhone launches and encouraging customers to upgrade on a more regular schedule.

That has become increasingly important as consumers hold onto their smartphones longer. According to Bernstein estimates, the average iPhone replacement cycle has stretched to nearly four years, reflecting both the durability of recent devices and higher upgrade costs.

Analysts say the new leasing program could shorten that replacement cycle by lowering the financial barrier to owning Apple’s latest hardware, while also creating a recurring stream of returning customers.

Monthly payments will vary depending on the model and lease duration. An unlocked iPhone 17 Pro will cost $31.99 per month on a two-year lease or $45.99 per month on a one-year agreement. Some lower-priced devices, including the iPhone 16 and MacBook Neo, are not included in the initial rollout.

The program also comes as Wall Street increasingly focuses on Apple’s ability to preserve profit margins in the face of rising manufacturing costs. Analysts at Morgan Stanley estimate Apple may need to increase the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro by roughly $200 to maintain gross margins. Research firm TechInsights estimates that rising memory prices and other component costs could add as much as $300 to the bill of materials for a single iPhone, based on component-level teardown analysis.

At the same time, Apple continues to push its product lineup further into the premium segment. Analysts expect the company to introduce its first foldable iPhone alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup later this year, with some estimates placing its retail price at around $2,500, making flexible financing options increasingly important for consumers.

The new initiative also reshapes Apple’s consumer financing strategy. The company said it is discontinuing its long-running iPhone Upgrade Program in the U.S., which was financed through Citizens Bank and bundled with AppleCare coverage. Under that program, customers typically paid more than $42 per month over 24 installments.

Apple Upgrade replaces that model with lower monthly lease payments, though customers will not automatically own the device at the end of the agreement unless they make an additional purchase payment.

The move also intensifies competition with U.S. wireless carriers, which have traditionally relied on device financing, trade-in incentives and multiyear contracts to retain subscribers. Major carriers including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile US already offer installment plans that spread smartphone costs over several years.

Apple also continues to offer zero-interest financing through its Apple Card Monthly Installments program, while users checking out with Apple Pay can access short-term financing from Klarna or rival Affirm.

The leasing program arrives just days before Apple reports its fiscal third-quarter earnings on Thursday. Investors are expected to focus on the company’s pricing strategy, demand outlook for the upcoming iPhone lineup, the impact of rising component costs on margins, and whether expanded financing options can support hardware sales.