It seems even professional Ph.D.-level jobs aren't even safe from technology these days.
According to Jim VandeHei, an American journalist and businessman, a major breakthrough in AI could cause more problems in the professional world.
VandeHei shared on X (formerly Twitter): "We've learned OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — has scheduled a closed-door briefing for U.S. government officials on Jan. 30 - with people inside and out of gov’t telling us AI insiders believe a big breakthrough on PHD level SuperAgents is coming."
The journalist defines the AI 'SuperAgents' as tools designed to tackle complex, real-world problems that 'human minds struggle to organize and conquer.'
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VandeHei continued: "They don't just respond to a single command; they pursue a goal. Super agents synthesize massive amounts of information, analyze options and deliver products."
OpenAI could be leading the change by developing a next-level model to fulfil complex human tasks.
Rather than relying on a human mind, this AI would execute software coding with the precision, speed and creativity that usually comes from a Ph.D.-level expert.
VandeHei wrote on his co-founded news platform Axios: "The expected advancements help explain why Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and others have talked publicly about AI replacing mid-level software engineers and other human jobs this year."
He quoted Zuckerberg on The Joe Rogan Experience: "[P]robably in 2025, we at Meta, as well as the other companies that are basically working on this, are going to have an AI that can effectively be a sort of midlevel engineer that you have at your company that can write code."
This isn't just about coding and engineering fields either.
VandeHei suggests that SuperAgents could excel in fields like logistics, creating new software systems from scratch and making sense of chaotic data.
What started as a 'fun, cool, aspirational tool' will potentially turn into a 'true replacement for human workers.'
Media editor Max Tani reshared the announcement on X and remarked: ""learn to code" - probably not great advice, it turns out...."
Some users voiced their concerns in response to the viral post.
"Using AI to replace mid-level programming may be penny-wise, but it's pound-foolish," wrote one user.
"wondering what this means for the future of work..." another pondered.
Some users compared Sam Altman’s 'energy' to Elon Musk’s early days of ambitiously pitching missions to Mars over 10 years ago.
"Not surprising at all. How long until an AI is president?" someone else asked.