AI is often discussed as a powerful technology that could change the way people work, learn, and build businesses. But Sam Altman believes the future of AI may actually look much simpler. Instead of being seen as a complex innovation, AI could eventually become a basic service that people use daily, much like electricity. Speaking at the BlackRock US Infrastructure Summit in Washington, DC, Altman said he sees a future where people do not think too much about AI itself. They will simply use it whenever they need help with a task and pay for it depending on how much they use.
Sam Altman says AI will soon become a utility like electricity, users will buy it by the metre
In his view, intelligence delivered through AI could become something people buy “by the metre,” just like electricity or water. He was basically trying to suggest that instead of paying a fixed price for an AI service, users should pay based on the amount of computing power they consume.
“We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water and people buy it from us on a meter and use it for whatever they want to use it for,” Altman said.
Altman also spoke about how quickly AI tools are becoming part of everyday work. According to him, many companies are already seeing AI perform tasks that people once believed would take years to achieve.
One of the clearest examples is software development. AI systems can already handle coding tasks that might normally take engineers several hours. But the use of these systems is not limited to coding. They are also helping with research, science and other knowledge-heavy work.
In some workplaces, employees are beginning to spend less time doing the actual technical tasks and more time guiding AI systems that complete the work. Altman said this could become even more common in the coming years.
Today, an AI system might complete a task that takes a few hours. In the near future, he expects these systems to handle projects that take several days or even weeks.
Altman also shared how he personally uses AI while working at OpenAI. When he comes up with a new product idea or a possible business strategy, he often asks AI tools for feedback before discussing it with colleagues. As these systems gain access to more information, including company documents and data, he expects their answers to become even more useful.
Behind the scenes, however, making this future possible requires massive infrastructure. Running powerful AI models needs large data centres filled with specialised hardware and huge amounts of electricity. Altman described these facilities as enormous campuses where thousands of workers are involved in building and maintaining the systems.
To support this demand, OpenAI has been investing heavily in computing infrastructure alongside partners such as Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank. For Altman, the goal is clear. He wants AI to be available to as many people as possible, rather than becoming a costly tool used only by a few companies.
If things go the way he expects, future generations may not see AI as a special technology at all. It will simply be there whenever they need it, helping them write, solve problems, build products or learn new things, and they will pay for it the same way they pay their electricity bill.
