OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has called on companies to experiment with four‑day workweek trials as AI technologies increasingly transform productivity and workplace dynamics.
In its recently released policy blueprint, Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age: Ideas to Keep People First, OpenAI outlined several proposals to help societies adapt to the economic and social changes brought about by advanced AI. Central among these is a recommendation for 32‑hour, four‑day workweeks with no reduction in pay, allowing employees to benefit from efficiency gains while maintaining output levels.
“We believe that as AI reshapes work and production, it’s important that the benefits of increased productivity be shared broadly,” the report states. It adds that such trials could help balance efficiency with employee well-being.
The report highlights concerns that, without measures to share productivity gains, the economic benefits of AI could become concentrated among a small segment of companies and investors, leaving workers behind. To address this, OpenAI also proposes establishing a public wealth fund to distribute returns from AI-driven growth and introducing taxes on automated labour to offset declining payroll tax revenues.
A company spokesperson emphasised that the recommendations are meant to encourage experimentation and discussion, not impose mandatory policies. “Employers should consider piloting shorter workweeks to see whether AI-driven productivity gains can improve work-life balance for employees,” the spokesperson said.
The proposals arrive amid global debates about the impact of AI on jobs, wages, and labour standards. While advocates for shorter workweeks have praised the approach as forward-looking, economists and industry leaders caution that careful planning and measurement are needed to ensure productivity gains translate into meaningful benefits for workers.
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