In today’s rapidly changing job market, merely knowing how to code may not be sufficient to secure employment in the future. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has highlighted the importance of acquiring skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the younger generation, according to recent media reports.
During an interview on the Stratechery podcast with host Ben Thompson, Altman discussed how the traditional path of learning to code is now being overshadowed by the necessity to master AI tools as technology continues to evolve.
“The obvious tactical thing is just get really good at using AI tools,” Altman stated, as reported by the Financial Times.
“Like when I was graduating as a senior from high school, the obvious tactical thing was to get really good at coding, and this is the new version of that,” he elaborated.
Earlier, Puneet Chandok, the President of Microsoft India and South Asia, emphasized that while AI will “unbundle” some operational tasks, ongoing skill development is crucial for thriving in an evolving job landscape.
Speaking at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Chandok underscored the pressing need for individuals to adapt and learn in light of AI-driven transformations.
“AI won’t eliminate jobs; it will simply unbundle them. AI will break down transactional tasks that might seem like work but do not add real value,” he remarked.
He added that as AI continues to redefine job roles, workers must enhance their skill sets to stay relevant.
“As AI unbundles our tasks, we need to bundle our skills more effectively. Skilling will become our vital lifeline. If we don’t commit to learning AI on a daily basis, we face obsolescence,” Chandok warned.
Echoing these sentiments, IBM’s CEO, Arvind Krishna, recently spoke about the importance of upskilling, although he also predicted that some job losses would accompany the creation of new opportunities.
In a conversation with Bloomberg, Krishna pointed out that jobs in call centers are likely to face the greatest impact as AI adoption rises.
“I think 50 percent of call center jobs, simple document-matching jobs, and positions in internal help desks such as IT and HR will be eliminated,” Krishna noted.
“We will see about 5 to 10 percent job displacement, which is likely,” he added.
Krishna emphasized that it is now the responsibility of companies to provide reskilling opportunities for affected employees.
“We must ensure that we offer them the necessary skills—whether through upskilling or reskilling—so they can transition into more productive roles,” he stressed.
“This does not account for the increased number of jobs. There will indeed be more hiring and enhanced productivity, but some displacement is inevitable,” the IBM CEO concluded.
