Sam Altman says the quiet part out loud, confirming some companies are "AI washing" by blaming unrelated layoffs on the technology

In a candid moment at the India AI Impact Summit in February, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged that some companies are engaging in 'AI washing'—falsely attributing workforce reductions to artificial intelligence when the layoffs would have happened anyway. "I don't know what the exact percentage is, but there's some AI washing where people are blaming AI for layoffs that they would otherwise do, and then there's some real displacement by AI of different kinds of jobs," Altman told CNBC-TV18. His comments come amid a broader debate about AI's true impact on employment, with mixed signals from research and corporate reports.

A study published in February by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) surveyed thousands of C-suite executives across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Australia and found that nearly 90% reported AI had no impact on workplace employment over the past three years following the late-2022 release of ChatGPT. This data contrasts with widespread media narratives about AI-driven job losses, suggesting that while real displacement occurs, it may be overstated by companies seeking to justify cuts or appear forward-thinking. Altman's acknowledgment of 'AI washing' adds a layer of accountability to the conversation, urging leaders to separate genuine technological disruption from convenient corporate narratives.