ChatGPT to Usher in Four-Day Work Week, Suggests Nobel Prize Winner

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Image: OpenAI

Critics of ChatGPT have argued that the chatbot from OpenAI is going to cost many people their jobs, but some seem to think that it could be a blessing for those who manage to dodge the pink slip. During an interview at a conference in Glasgow, Christopher Pissarides, a professor at the London School of Economics and Nobel Prize-winning labor economist, suggested that ChatGPT is going to be a huge boon to productivity, going so far as to allow companies to switch to a four-day work week “easily.” The latest version of ChatGPT, which is based on the more advanced GPT-4 model, was launched last month on March 14, 2023.

From a Bloomberg report (alternate link):

“I’m very optimistic that we could increase productivity,” [Pissarides] said in an interview at a conference in Glasgow. “We could increase our well-being generally from work and we could take off more leisure. We could move to a four-day week easily.”

Pissarides said the technology could still take a malevolent turn, such as being used for surveillance or invading privacy. But he said it could make a “big difference” to productivity if used well.

“They could take away lots of boring things that we do at work … and then leave only the interesting stuff to human beings,” he said. The transition for workers will be made less painful by slower adoption by companies despite the technology “moving fast,” he added.

Some are concerned of the impact the technology could have on society. Tech leaders, including Elon Musk, signed an open letter last month calling for a pause to the training of powerful AI systems.

“There’s just no limit to how much work humanity could generate if they really want to work,” Pissarides said. “It will take long to have a real impact and during that time people will adjust. What you need in this adjustment is basically upskilling.”

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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