OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, believes that the arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) could transform society so profoundly that raising children would become significantly easier. Altman, who welcomed his first child earlier this year, has spoken about how parenthood has been an “amazing” experience and one that he hopes more people will embrace. In a conversation on the podcast People by WTF with Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, he described declining birth rates as a “real problem” and stressed that the future should place greater emphasis on families and communities. According to him, these two pillars are among the strongest sources of human happiness, and he hopes society will return to valuing them more deeply.
Altman also sees artificial intelligence as an essential factor in this transition. He suggested that once AGI—the advanced and still theoretical version of AI that can reason in ways comparable to humans—becomes a reality, it will create new possibilities for everyday life. He argued that AGI will lead to a world defined by greater abundance, expanded resources, and more free time, giving families the chance to flourish in ways that are currently difficult. In this imagined future, wealth will be more evenly distributed, stress from daily struggles will ease, and the role of family and community will naturally grow stronger and more important.
Speaking about his own journey into fatherhood, Altman explained that becoming a parent felt like the most fulfilling and meaningful experience he could possibly have. He admitted to being “extremely kid-pilled,” a playful term in tech culture describing someone who has become deeply invested in the joy of having children. During the early weeks of caring for his newborn, he often turned to ChatGPT for answers to questions, noting how even childcare scenarios can become practical applications of artificial intelligence.
Altman has also spoken about the generational shift he envisions when it comes to technology. On The OpenAI Podcast, he joked that his children will never surpass AI in intelligence. Instead, he expects that they will grow up with capabilities far beyond those of his own generation, mastering skills that today seem unimaginable and learning to collaborate with AI as naturally as children once learned to read or write. He emphasized that understanding how to work with advanced systems will be one of the fundamental skills of the future, and he intends to pass this knowledge down to his children from an early stage.
Altman is not the only Silicon Valley figure advocating for stronger families. Elon Musk, founder of xAI and father of at least ten children, has long raised concerns about declining birth rates. In 2022, Musk made headlines when he posted on X that “a collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilisation faces by far.” He has even joked that he is personally “doing his best to help the underpopulation crisis.” Both leaders, despite their different styles, appear united in their conviction that supporting families is essential for the future, especially in a world reshaped by artificial intelligence.
