Ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati: Some creative jobs 'shouldn't have been there'
Mira Murati says AI will kill low-quality creative jobs—and that's okay.
Mira Murati, former OpenAI CTO and now CEO of Thinking Machine Labs, ignited controversy with a blunt take on AI's impact on creative employment. In a Dartmouth College discussion, she stated: 'Some creative jobs maybe will go away, but maybe they shouldn't have been there in the first place if the content that comes out of it is not very high quality.' Her comments, reported by CNBC, frame AI-driven job disruption as an inevitability to be welcomed rather than feared.
Murati argued that generative AI tools will 'lower the barrier' for anyone to create content, potentially democratizing creativity while weeding out low-effort work. This perspective comes as AI-generated content surges online and industries grapple with job losses—though actual displacement remains modest. The creative sector has resisted AI adoption, exemplified by the collapsed $1B Disney-OpenAI deal after Sora's shutdown. Murati's quote highlights the tension between innovation and labor, with her new startup aiming to make AI more accessible.
- Murati claims AI will eliminate only low-quality creative jobs, not all creative work.
- Her comments were made at Dartmouth; she now leads AI accessibility startup Thinking Machine Labs.
- AI-generated content is rising, but adoption faces hurdles like the failed $1B Disney-OpenAI deal.
Why It Matters
Murati's quote signals a hardline industry view that AI disruption is inevitable and even beneficial—challenging workers to adapt.