OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is urging businesses to experiment with four-day work weeks as artificial intelligence transforms workplaces globally. In a new policy report titled "Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age," the AI giant suggests that shorter work weeks without pay cuts could help society adapt to the coming AI era.
"If progress continues, we can expect systems to be capable of carrying out projects that currently take people months," OpenAI stated in its report, emphasizing that this technological shift "will reshape how organisations run, how knowledge is created, and how people find meaning and opportunity."
The company's recommendations focus on creating "durable improvements in workers' benefits" as AI tools rapidly reduce the time needed for many tasks. Beyond the four-day week proposal, OpenAI suggests businesses could increase retirement contributions, cover more healthcare costs, and subsidize childcare.
This comes amid ongoing debates about AI's potential to displace workers. Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey recently compared the coming disruption to that of the Industrial Revolution. However, some economists caution that AI's transformative effects might take decades to materialize.
OpenAI's proposals also include creating more opportunities in people-facing sectors like childcare, education, and healthcare, as well as establishing a "public wealth fund" to give citizens a stake in AI-driven economic growth. These ideas echo similar policy suggestions from rival AI firm Anthropic, which last October called for better worker training and infrastructure planning.
While tech companies continue rapid AI development—including work on "superintelligence" systems—there's disagreement about the timeline of AI's impact. Adam Slater, lead economist at Oxford Economics, noted that many optimistic predictions about AI's productivity gains "rely on optimistic modelling assumptions" and that historical technological transitions show such benefits can take decades to fully emerge.
The report aims to spark discussion about necessary policy actions as AI systems become increasingly capable, with OpenAI positioning these ideas as initial suggestions primarily focused on the United States.