“The transition to superintelligence is not a distant possibility—it’s already underway,” says Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, in his latest paper. Industrial Policy for the Information Age.

Altman says we are heading towards a world where super intelligence  (AI that can outperform humans at most tasks) is the norm and that this shift is going to reshape the world.

Are the robots coming for you?

Altman says AI has already progressed from business helper to business manager, going from helping with small tasks to handling work that used to take hours, and that as AI evolves it will be able to tackle widescale, long term  projects, too.

According to Altman, AI has the potential to sit inside your business and actively contribute to output, speed and decision-making.

“If progress continues, we can expect systems to be capable of carrying out projects that currently take people months,” the report claims.

The AI revolution

Altman likens AI to groundbreaking discoveries such as electricity. Just as the industrial age changed everything that came before it, Altman thinks AI will revolutionise society, changing the world of work and business.

“Superintelligence will … significantly increase productivity … and open the way for entirely new forms of work, creativity, and entrepreneurship,” Altman says.

Businesses that are early adopters of AI will undoubtedly reap the benefits. Still, the age of AI will likely come at a cost including widespread disruption and potential inequalities. Altman predicts the risks: “Without thoughtful policies, AI could widen inequality … while communities that begin with fewer resources fall further behind.”

If left unchecked, Altman expects AI to disrupt entire industries. Competitive gaps will widen for any businesses that delay adoption, and the power gap will increase.

Everyone should benefit, but will they?

A world of AI haves and have-nots is not the type of future the entrepreneur wants. Altman believes the benefits of AI should be shared. He’s angling for a future where the economic gains of AI are distributed, and he wants government policies to match.  In doing so, Altman hopes risks are managed, and that access to AI will be equitable.

He wants everyone to have the ability to participate in the opportunities AI creates. In Altman’s vision of the future, AI facilitates the rise of “AI-first entrepreneurs”. It’s a world where technology handles most of the operational load. Tasks like marketing, admin and customer support can be managed by AI systems, freeing up time for growth strategies.

He suggests AI can remove “the overhead that usually blocks entrepreneurship”.

While the paper focuses on the US, there are broader implications:

Altman says access to AI will be crucial. If AI becomes a core part of doing business, Australian businesses will need reliable tools. Support for adoption is also essential, particularly for small businesses that may not have the time or resources to experiment without guidance.

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