Sam Altman predicts AI will change education in 18 years, colleges will become obsolete: ‘My son will never be smarter than…'
Speaking on the This Past Weekend podcast with comedian Theo Von, Altman said he doubts his own child will pursue a college education. When asked if he thought his child would attend university, he said, 'Probably not.'
Altman had dropped out of Stanford University in 2005 before becoming a tech billionaire.
Altman emphasised on the effect that AI will have on how future generations learn and grow. 'In that world, education is going to feel very different. I already think college is, like, maybe not working great for most people, but I think if you fast-forward 18 years, it's going to look like a very, very different thing.'
Altman said that children born today will grow up in a world where AI will always be smarter than they are, and embedded into every product and service they encounter. He said the fundamental change will redefine the very purpose and structure of education.
He also expressed concern for older generations. 'I actually think the kids will be fine; I'm worried about the parents,' he said.
'If you look at the history of the world, when there's a new technology, people that grow up with it, they are always fluent. They always figure out what to do. They always learn the new kinds of jobs. But if you are like a 50-year-old and you have to kind of learn how to do things in a very different way, that doesn't always work,' he added.
Altman also addressed the increasing impact of tech on children's mental health, including the addictive nature of short-form videos. However, he highlighted that AI doesn't mean the end of education or work, comparing it to the invention of the calculator.
'I'm sure the same thing happened with the calculator before, and now this is just a new tool that exists in the tool chain,' he said.
While Altman acknowledged that AI will inevitably take over some jobs, he believes that many more jobs and opportunities will emerge. He also said that an AI CEO could one day lead OpenAI, transforming the very job he currently holds.
Altman added that human creativity, drive, and social nature would continue to shape progress. 'In the same way people from the time of the Industrial Revolution might have viewed modern humans as leading a relatively easy existence, looking forward 100 years from now, we may well think the same thing,' he said.
'I think it's great that those people in the past think we have it so easy. I think it's great that we think those people in the future have it so easy'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
AP signs MoU with YouTube, Tezaract to launch ‘Creator Academy'
Vijayawada: The state govt signed an MoU with YouTube and Tezaract USA Inc. for the establishment of a 'Creator Academy'. The agreement was signed in the presence of the minister for ITE&C and HRD, Nara Lokesh, in Singapore on Tuesday. The academy will serve as a centre of excellence for creative content development. According to the MoU, Google will support the curriculum, technology, and expertise, while Tezaract will handle infrastructure and daily operations. YouTube will provide industry knowledge, channel support, and training to help students grow their digital presence. The MoU was signed by Teja Dharma, president of Tezaract, and Bhaskar Katamaneni, secretary for IT, GoAP, in the presence of Lokesh and others. "I am confident that this partnership with YouTube will unleash and harness the creative energies of Andhra Pradesh's youth and make us leaders in the digital economy. This will empower India's creative economy," said Lokesh. On the third day of the Singapore tour, Lokesh also met Google Cloud's director, Drew Brains, and requested the setup of a chip designing centre in AP. As Google already signed two MoUs with AP for setting up a data centre and for skill development in AI, Lokesh requested the establishment of a chip design facility away from China and Taiwan. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo In the meeting with the managing director of Murata Electronics Pvt Ltd, Hiroyuki Niwa, Lokesh explained the opportunities to set up electronics component manufacturing facilities in Andhra Pradesh. With a dedicated policy offering attractive incentives and better connectivity with ports and airports, AP is ideal for electronics manufacturing, said Lokesh. Later, he also met Carrier executive director, Arun Bhatia, and requested the setup of a cold chain logistics hub in AP. As ST Tele Media Investments plans to double its operations in India, Lokesh requested the setup of a green energy data centre in Visakhapatnam, which is poised to become a data city with a slew of investments into the sector, including Google. Lokesh met ST Tele Media Investments (India) head, Ritu Mehlawat, and requested collaboration with Andhra Pradesh. Lokesh said that the state govt is keen to make AP a strategic destination for the Asia market. He said that the govt is ready to extend full cooperation to companies willing to invest in IT, electronics, and semiconductors.
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Texas AI centers guzzle 463 million gallons, now residents are asked to cut back on showers
Microsoft's Stargate Campus Leads the AI Data Center Boom Texas AI Data Centers Use Millions of Gallons of Water Amid Severe Drought Why Data Centers Use So Much Water Live Events Experts Stress the Industrial Scale of Data Center Water Use Microsoft's Sustainability Promise Faces Skepticism FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Amid the ongoing worsening drought condition in Texas, the State's residents face an unexpected water dilemma: while communities are urged to conserve every drop, even cutting back on simple showers, massive new AI data centers are quietly using millions of gallons daily to keep their operations running, as per a Stargate campus in Abilene is leading a surge in data center construction, promising to become one of the world's largest hubs supporting advanced artificial intelligence technology, as per a report by Techie + behind this high-tech promise lies a growing environmental concern: water consumption. According to a July 2025 investigation by The Austin Chronicle, data centers across Central Texas, including Microsoft and US Army Corps facilities in San Antonio, used a combined 463 million gallons of water in 2023 and 2024 alone, as reported by Techie + Gamers. That's enough water to meet the needs of tens of thousands of households, according to the READ: Pentagon's new missile could checkmate China — why everyone's talking about it For many Texans, this feels like a painful contradiction. While drought warnings urge residents to limit water use, especially for everyday activities like showering, giant facilities essential to the tech economy are quietly drawing vast amounts of water, mostly for cooling servers that keep the data centers running 24/7, as per the Techie + Gamers Mace, executive director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University highlighted that, 'People don't think of data centers as industrial water users, but they are,' adding that, 'Once that water evaporates, it's just gone,' as quoted in the READ: Google and Meta no longer cool? 75% of grads are walking away from Big Tech dreams for new career paths The scale of water use is massive, as the Texas Water Development Board projections estimate that data centers in the state will consume 49 billion gallons of water in 2025, soaring to nearly 400 billion gallons by 2030, as per Techie + Gamers report. That's about 7% of Texas's total projected water use, according to the Cook, a water policy analyst at the Houston Advanced Research Center pointed out that, 'These centers are showing up in places that are very water-stressed," adding, "There's no requirement for them to have conversations with communities about how much water they'll use,' as quoted in the in the Hill Country region, where several new AI-focused centers are under construction, are raising alarms. Much of the water these centers use evaporates during cooling and can't be recycled, a critical issue in an area already grappling with scarce water resources, as reported by Techie + Microsoft said it's working toward sustainability goals, aiming to be 'water positive' by 2030, meaning it plans to replenish more water than it consumes, as per the report. The company highlights water restoration projects and the use of recycled water when possible, according to Techie + critics worry these efforts often happen far from the communities facing water shortages, limiting their said, 'You have to question what 'water positive' means when you're building massive projects in places already dealing with water scarcity,' as quoted in the is another problem. Some water utilities learn about new data centers only after construction is underway, and companies sometimes operate under shell entities or code names, reducing community awareness and input, as reported by Techie + issue isn't just about the future, it's happening now, with drought conditions already severe across many parts of Texas, the expansion of AI infrastructure is testing how communities balance technological progress with environmental sustainability, as per Techie + use water mainly to cool the servers that run around the clock, which is essential to keep the data centers operating water is recycled, but a large portion evaporates during cooling and is lost forever.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Infy CEO indicates no layoffs; to hire freshers
Bengaluru: 's recent decision to lay off over 12,200 employees (its biggest job cuts) sparked concern across the IT industry, raising questions about workforce stability and future hiring. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In contrast, CEO Salil Parekh offered a measured response, explaining how the company managed to stay slightly ahead by making strategic investments in AI and reskilling its workforce. Infosys said it is sticking to its target of hiring 20,000 freshers. The company also raised the lower end of the guidance from 0% to 1%, setting a new range of 1% to 3% in constant currency for FY26. TCS is laying off 12,000 people. Nasscom indicated the shift might trigger rationalisation. Is Infosys planning job cuts? We recruited over 17,000 people (gross hiring) in the first quarter and plan to bring in about 20,000 college graduates this year. Our focus remains firmly on reskilling, particularly in AI, where we've already trained over 275,000 employees at various levels. This reskilling effort opens significant opportunities for our workforce as we see growth in AI, cloud, and enterprise platforms. We've been deeply focused on AI transformation — whether it's building AI agents or developing smaller language models internally. Beyond technology, we are also benefiting from strategic client decisions around partner consolidation. We believe this will generate substantial opportunities for employees as they get reskilled — like what we achieved during digital transformation. The ability to learn and adapt continues to be crucial in today's fast-evolving market. Data and cloud are the foundational layers that make AI implementation effective, and our strong cloud services practice enables us to deploy more people across programs. The industry is undergoing a structural reset. How important is reinvestment versus focus on margins? It's critical to invest. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We made significant investments in digital and AI, building agents and language models, and reskilling employees. We also focused on internal efficiency to support these investments without major disruptions. This approach allows us to put more people on new projects. Infosys posted low single-digit growth for three consecutive years. Is this the new normal for the IT industry? If you look globally — especially in Europe and the US — macroeconomic shifts are either stabilising or still playing out. My view is that as these trends mature and the environment becomes more stable, we will return to stronger expansion. Technology's centrality is growing across sectors. New opportunities continue to emerge in cloud, data, and technology-driven process transformation. While productivity is one theme, the broader trend is expansion. For this year, our 1–3% growth guidance reflects how client demand evolves. As the environment improves, we expect corresponding changes within Infosys. With AI reshaping Indian IT, are traditional models like pyramid and bench becoming obsolete? Are metrics like net hiring and utilisation losing relevance as lead indicators of growth? There are clear changes in the business model, but they also open new opportunities. AI allows for deeper automation and insights but also demands higher-level skills and more effort. Our headcount continues to grow, reflecting our sustained investment in people and technology. Our utilisation model hasn't changed — we ensure optimal alignment between project needs and available talent. With fresh graduates, our training-to-deployment approach remains intact. How do you ensure the human-in-the-loop remains relevant despite low to medium intensity coding being automated? We're seeing 5% to 15% productivity gains in software development through AI and automation, and even more in customer service and knowledge tasks. But human involvement remains central, especially in complex, integrated systems. Take Infosys Finacle—our banking platform delivers around 20% productivity improvement by blending automation with human oversight. When working with clients—typically large enterprises with multiple systems and sometimes companies brought together through acquisitions—we see significant benefits of 5% to 15% in software development. These are based on real client implementations. Given that Infosys has not yet decided on the next round of wage hikes, how are you approaching this amid current market conditions? We concluded our compensation increases for Q4 and Q1 of the last fiscal year. The process remains comprehensive and applies across levels. We will continue with this approach. Now that this cycle is complete, we are beginning to evaluate the timing for the next round—as we do after every cycle. During COVID, the standard cycle was disrupted, leading to two increases over 18 months. There are no changes planned. We will stick with our existing process and announce the next cycle at the right time. Infosys had a net addition of just 210 people in Q1. We made significant hires. Our college graduate hiring target remains unchanged — we had a strong intake in Q1 and plan to hire 20,000 for the full year. Our utilisation is healthy, and our cautious approach reflects macro conditions. As the outlook becomes more stable, hiring will adjust accordingly. How is Infosys engaging with GCCs as their models evolve? We bring deep institutional knowledge and work closely with clients to scale GCC operations, implement AI, and roll out next-gen technologies. In many GCCs, we're driving major transformation—integrating tech stacks and supporting enterprise-wide change. We've also centralised our GCC engagement, ensuring each vertical maintains direct collaboration. We share insights—from global scaling to building AI agents and launching SaaS or public cloud solutions. Some clients need more tailored models, and we've delivered customised engineering and tech services to meet those unique needs. Licensing revenue makes up 7%–8% of total revenue, suggesting the core business is underperforming without it. In Q1, third-party revenue declined sharply. In some engagements, we manage full transformations, including software, hardware, and services—end-to-end. These require close involvement, making it hard to separate roles. Where possible, we take a support-only role. Now that we're more selective, we only participate in such full-scope engagements when necessary. We expect third-party revenue to stay subdued this year, as we pursue such work only at the client's specific request.
