External signal·Sam Altman·Jun 10, 2025·7 min read
The Gentle Singularity
“writing computer code will never be the same”
Summary
In a personal essay, the OpenAI CEO argues humanity has crossed the "event horizon" into a gradual, manageable singularity. He sketches a near-term timeline — 2025 brings AI agents doing real cognitive work, 2026 systems that generate novel insights, 2027 robots doing physical tasks — and predicts one person will accomplish far more in 2030 than in 2020, with access to superintelligence widely distributed. The tone is calm and optimistic: profound change experienced as "impressive but manageable."
Predictions for the future of work
Forecasts a smooth, compounding transition to superintelligence rather than a sudden rupture, with each year unlocking more autonomous capability and a large jump in individual productivity by 2030. Treats labour disruption as real but absorbable, emphasising distribution of access over displacement.
Originally published by Sam Altman · Jun 10, 2025
Read the original at Sam Altman