Latest news with #Mechanize
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
For Silicon Valley, AI isn't just about replacing some jobs. It's about replacing all of them
I recently found myself at a dinner in an upstairs room at a restaurant in San Francisco hosted by a venture capital firm. The after-dinner speaker was a tech veteran who, having sold his AI company for hundreds of millions of dollars, has now turned his hand to investing. He had a simple message for the assembled startup founders: the money you can make in AI isn't limited to the paltry market sizes of previous technology waves. You can replace the world's workers – which means you can capture their salaries. All of them. Replacing all human labour with AI sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But it is the explicit aim of a growing number of the tech elite – and these are people who lack neither drive nor resources, who have deep pockets and even deeper determination. If they say they want to automate all labour, we should take them at their word. This is generally an aim that's only admitted to behind closed doors, for obvious reasons. There's little that will summon the pitchforks quicker than telling people you're trying to take away their jobs. But a company called Mechanize last month bucked the trend and said the quiet part out loud. Their vision is 'the full automation of the economy', a vision they've convinced some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley to fund, including Google's chief scientist, Jeff Dean, and popular podcaster Dwarkesh Patel. Is automating all jobs really feasible? Elon Musk certainly thinks so. The rise of AI and robotics will mean 'probably none of us will have a job', he said last year. Bill Gates thinks humans soon won't be needed for 'most things'. Massive labour replacement has also been predicted by godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton and billionaire investor Vinod Khosla. These are hardly fringe voices that have no idea what they're talking about. Some careers are obviously safe from robot takeover. Taylor Swift is not in danger. Nor is Harry Kane. Nor, for that matter, is Keir Starmer, or the as-yet-unnamed next archbishop of Canterbury. Famous artist, sportsperson, politician, priest – perhaps the four jobs that are the most resistant to automation. Unfortunately they're not open to all of us. Today's technology cannot replace all human labour. AI makes mistakes. Robots lack coordination, dexterity, versatility. So that's something. But there is lots that cutting-edge technology can already do. And there are good reasons to think it will continue to improve – fast. GPT-4, one of OpenAI's large language models, was already scoring in the top 10% on the bar exam back in 2023. Their more recent models are better at coding than their own chief scientist. Freelance writing jobs plummeted when ChatGPT was released; the same happened to graphic design jobs with the arrival of AI image generators. Driverless cars are everywhere in San Francisco. As Sam Altman himself said: 'Jobs are definitely going to go away, full stop.' While AI grabs most of the headlines, robots are advancing rapidly too. And where AI threatens white-collar jobs, robots target physical labour. One type of humanoid robot is already being tested in BMW factories; another managed to master more than 100 tasks that would usually be done by human store workers. Companies plan to start testing robots in the home this year. The Silicon Valley vision for the labour market is remarkably simple: AI does the thinking, robots do the doing. What place do humans have in this arrangement? Up until very recently, AI researchers thought that artificial general intelligence (AGI) – that is, AI that can perform essentially all cognitive tasks at human level – was a long way off. Not any more. Demis Hassabis, the head of Google DeepMind, now thinks 'it's coming very soon' – less than five to 10 years wouldn't surprise him. Of course these predictions may be wrong. Perhaps we're headed for another AI winter; perhaps the chatbots will stop improving, the robots will keep falling over, the funding will move on to the next big thing in tech. I don't think so, but it's possible. But that's not the point. The question here isn't whether the legions of tech CEOs and billions of dollars of funding being poured into near-total labour automation will achieve what they're trying to achieve. The question is why they're trying to achieve it at all, and how the rest of us feel about it. The generous answer is that they genuinely believe a post-labour economy will mean huge economic growth and vastly improved global living standards. The obvious question is what, historically speaking, suggests that the benefits of this growth would be distributed evenly. The less generous answer is that it's about what it's always about: money. Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen once famously said: 'Software is eating the world.' Up until now there's only been so much it could eat. Whatever software you built, you still needed people to do most of the world's work, with the labour market itself tantalisingly out of reach for ambitious tech execs. But now Silicon Valley sees an opening. A chance to own the entire means of production. And it wouldn't be Silicon Valley if it didn't try to seize that chance. Ed Newton-Rex is the founder of Fairly Trained, a non-profit that certifies generative AI companies that respect creators' rights, and a visiting scholar at Stanford University
The Star
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Not so fast! AI isn't saving companies much time or money, study says
Not for the first time, AI evangelists' lofty claims are running up against workplace realities. There's no shortage of companies making bold promises when it comes to their tech: Google thinks it could save your workers 122 hours of tedious work per year, and save your company lots of money. A new startup called Mechanize is aiming at replacing everyone's jobs – with who knows what impact on the economy. But new research from the University of Chicago's Becker Friedman Institute for Economics says AI tools from market leaders like Google and OpenAI have yet to actually deliver on any of these big promises, let alone displace people from their jobs. Though AI is developing really speedily as newer, more sophisticated tools keep being released, and the study data had a cutoff point in late 2024, the results are still worth considering before you push your team to start using AI tools on a regular basis. The research paper, news site TechRadar reports, shows that for companies that have adopted AI, the statistics suggest that AI tools aren't offering many significant benefits. Users reported average time savings of just 2.8%, for example. That equates to about one hour a week, based on a 40-hour work week, far below Google's promised 120-plus hours of savings. Meanwhile, in some cases, the research showed that AI tools actually added to people's duties and responsibilities, effectively boosting their workloads. The data also show that when companies push their workers toward using AI, offering support and training, it will boost AI adoption – which you may think would boost savings. The research team, which questioned 25,000 people in Denmark , found this trick boosted AI adoption from 47% without support and training to 83% with support. AI adoption also appeared pretty widespread across different types of employers, with 'most' encouraging their use, and with some 30% of workers having received training. But combined with the time savings data, the data show that using AI to save workers time, by, for example, taking over mundane office tasks, only led to higher earnings 3% to 7% of the time. The researchers also noted that while AI chatbots do actually save time across diverse occupations for between 64% and 90% of users, the impact on the final quality of work and worker job satisfaction varied widely. Meanwhile, only 8.4% of AI users said they saw new jobs being created by AI technology such as 'teachers monitoring AI-assisted cheating' or 'workers editing AI outputs and crafting better prompts,' (which is a new skill called prompt engineering) TechRadar noted. In their summary, researchers noted that workers reported 'no evidence that firms with greater chatbot adoption have fared differently in total employment or wage bills.' And even a direct question – 'Have AI chatbots affected your labour earnings?' – confirms that 'workers perceive no earnings impact as of November 2024.' The research challenges 'narratives of imminent labor market transformations due to Generative AI,' the writers noted. 'While adoption has been rapid, with firms now heavily invested in unlocking the technological potential, the economic impacts remain small.' Why should you care about this? There are a number of reasons this survey could be taken as not representative: starting with the fact it looked at workers in Denmark , who may have a dramatically different work culture than US companies and staff. But the data comes from an unusually large number of participants which makes these statistics numerically significant. The research also provides an important talking point for company leaders interested in adopting AI to save costs or reap the benefits of higher employee efficiency because it challenges the overwhelmingly positive narrative being pushed by AI makers like Google or OpenAI. It's also a message you can present to any staff members who say they're worried that AI will be used to replace their jobs – which could be as many as one in two workers in the US , recent data show. – Inc./Tribune News Service
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mechanize Raises Eyebrows And Millions: Tech Giants And Famous Investors Rally Behind AI Startup Aiming To Fully Automate The Global Workforce
In a bold move that's stirring both excitement and concern, AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu has launched Mechanize, a startup with the ambitious goal of fully automating all human labor. Announced via a post on X, Besiroglu stated that Mechanize aims for 'the full automation of all work' and 'the full automation of the economy.' Mechanize plans to achieve this by developing virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data to enable AI agents to perform tasks traditionally done by humans. The startup is initially focusing on white-collar jobs, such as those in finance, customer service, and management, rather than manual labor roles that would require robotics. Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . The startup has garnered significant backing from prominent figures in the tech industry, including former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, tech investor Daniel Gross, Stripe co-founder and CEO Patrick Collison, podcaster Dwarkesh Patel, Google Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, investor Sholto Douglas, and crypto hedge fund AltX Managing Partner Marcus Abramovitch, according to the announcement on startup's site. TechCrunch reported that Abramovitch expressed his support, stating, 'The team is exceptional across many dimensions and has thought deeper on AI than anyone I know.' Besiroglu estimates the total addressable market for Mechanize's services by aggregating all wages currently paid to human workers, amounting to approximately $18 trillion annually in the U.S. and over $60 trillion globally. Trending: Donald Trump Just Announced a $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Deal — Despite the ambitious vision, Mechanize's launch has sparked controversy. Critics argue that the startup's mission could lead to widespread job displacement and economic inequality. One X user commented, 'The automation of most human labor is indeed a giant prize for companies, which is why many of the biggest companies on Earth are already pursuing it. I think it will be a huge loss for most humans, as well as contribute directly to intelligence runaway and disaster. The two are inextricably linked. Hard for me to see this as something other than just another entrant in the race to AGI by a slightly different name and a more explicit human-worker-replacement goal.' In response to concerns, Besiroglu contends that fully automating labor could lead to 'vast abundance, much higher standards of living, and new goods and services that we can't even imagine today.' In an interview with TechCrunch, he suggests that even if wages decrease, people could derive income from other sources such as rents, dividends, and government welfare. Mechanize's approach involves creating simulated environments and evaluations that capture the full scope of what people do at their jobs, including complex tasks like long-term planning and coordination. The startup believes that by addressing the current shortcomings of AI models, such as unreliability and lack of long-context capabilities, it can unlock the potential for AI to perform a wide range of labor tasks. As Mechanize moves forward, it joins a growing field of AI startups aiming to revolutionize the workforce. While the path ahead is fraught with ethical and economic challenges, the company's vision has definitely ignited a critical conversation about the future of work in an increasingly automated world. Read Next: Here's what Americans think you need to be considered wealthy. Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Mechanize Raises Eyebrows And Millions: Tech Giants And Famous Investors Rally Behind AI Startup Aiming To Fully Automate The Global Workforce originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Hindustan Times
21-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
New AI startup aims to replace human labour jobs – Social media in panic mode
You may have seen experts talking about how AI could replace human jobs with robots and smart software. Some people are also worried it might lead to a human crisis. This is one of the grey zones of AI, something that hasn't been clearly explained yet. Some believe jobs will simply change, while others think AI will take over and people will lose their work. Now, an AI researcher named Tamay Besiroglu has started a new company called Mechanize. This company builds digital work environments, tests, and training data to help fully automate all kinds of work. These might sound like big ideas, but it just means they are making systems that can do labour jobs by themselves. The company has shared how it plans to do this. And as expected, many people are upset. Also Read: VALORANT Mobile pre-registration date is here: Know when and how to register As per Mechanize, the company is a 'startup focused on developing virtual work environments, benchmarks, and training data that will enable the full automation of the economy.' And to achieve this, it wants to create 'simulated environments and evaluations' that will 'capture the full scope of what people do at their jobs.' 'This includes using a computer, completing long-horizon tasks that lack clear criteria for success, coordinating with others, and reprioritizing in the face of obstacles and interruptions.' Mechanize states that the majority of value AI will bring to humanity at large will come from one area: automating ordinary labour tasks, and 'not geniuses sitting in data centres.' It argues that current AI models have several shortcomings that prevent this value from reaching people. These AI models, according to the company, are unreliable, lack robust long-context capabilities, struggle with agency and multi-modality, and cannot execute long-term plans without going off track. This is the gap the company aims to bridge. It wants to work on producing the data and evaluations necessary for automating work. However, it is not exactly clear how it intends to achieve this. However, the company does say that their digital environments will act as 'simulations of real-world work,' which will allow AI agents to learn real-world abilities. Also Read: PlayStation 6: What to expect, pricing, my feature wishlist The company claims there is. It provides figures, stating that workers in the United States are paid around $18 trillion per year. Globally, the number is three times higher, around $60 trillion annually. The company argues that explosive economic growth could occur when this labour is automated. It claims this would generate abundance, improve standards of living, and introduce new goods and services, some of which, according to the company, we cannot even imagine today. Well, these are just claims. It remains to be seen what the real-world implications are and how people eventually receive this. But what we can say for now is that people are not responding kindly to it, especially on X. 'Just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should. i don't think this will be good for humanity,' a user who goes by the name Lewis Bowes said on X. Another user, Adam Scholl, said, 'This seems to me like one of the most harmful possible aims to pursue. Presumably it doesn't seem like that to you? Are you unworried about x-risk, or expect even differentially faster capabilities progress on the current margin to help, or think that's the wrong frame, or...?' On the contrary, some users also had positive things to say. 'I'm seeing criticism of this from 'more people doing capabilities' perspective. But I disagree. I really want to see stronger pushes towards more specialised AI rather than general superintelligence, b/c I think latter likely to be v dangerous. seems like step in right direction,' user Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh said. Mobile finder: iPhone 16e LATEST price, specs and all details
Arab Times
20-04-2025
- Business
- Arab Times
AI expert starts new company to replace all human workers with AI
NEW YORK, April 20: From time to time, Silicon Valley sees the emergence of startups with such ambitious—or seemingly absurd—missions that it's hard to tell whether they're serious ventures or elaborate satire. Mechanize, a newly launched company, is one such example, and it's stirring significant controversy. The backlash centers not only on Mechanize's lofty goals but also on concerns that it may tarnish the reputation of Epoch, the respected nonprofit AI research group founded by the same person —Tamay Besiroglu. Following the announcement, criticism poured in on X (formerly Twitter), with even a director at Epoch sarcastically commenting, 'Yay just what I wanted for my bday: a comms crisis.' Mechanize officially launched on Thursday via a post on X by Besiroglu, a well-known figure in AI research. The startup's stated aim is to achieve 'the full automation of all work' and, more broadly, 'the full automation of the economy.' In practical terms, this means Mechanize intends to replace human labor across the board with AI-driven agents. The company plans to develop and provide the data, performance evaluations, and digital infrastructure necessary to automate virtually any job. Besiroglu estimated the total market potential by summing up all current human wages. He explained that U.S. workers earn about $18 trillion annually, while the global figure exceeds $60 trillion — making the market 'absurdly large,' in his words. However, Besiroglu clarified to TechCrunch that the company's initial focus is on automating white-collar jobs rather than roles requiring physical labor, which would necessitate robotics. Reaction to Mechanize was swift and often harsh. 'Huge respect for the founders' work at Epoch, but sad to see this,' responded Anthony Aguirre on X. 'The automation of most human labor is indeed a giant prize for companies... I think it will be a huge loss for most humans.' The criticism doesn't stop with Mechanize's mission. Many are questioning the potential conflict between Besiroglu's involvement in a startup aiming to accelerate AI capabilities and his role at Epoch, which has built a reputation for impartial analysis of AI's economic impact and for setting industry benchmarks. Epoch has faced scrutiny before. In December, the group disclosed that OpenAI had supported the development of one of its benchmarks—a benchmark that OpenAI then used to launch its o3 model. That revelation stirred debate online, with critics arguing that Epoch should have been more transparent about the connection. Besiroglu's latest move reignited these concerns. 'Alas, this seems like approximate confirmation that Epoch research was directly feeding into frontier capability work,' wrote X user Oliver Habryka in response to the Mechanize launch. Despite the controversy, Mechanize boasts an impressive list of backers, including Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Patrick Collison, Dwarkesh Patel, Jeff Dean, Sholto Douglas, and Marcus Abramovitch. While most declined TechCrunch's request for comment, Abramovitch—managing partner at crypto hedge fund AltX and a self-described 'effective altruist'—confirmed his investment. 'The team is exceptional across many dimensions and have thought deeper on AI than anyone I know,' he said. So, what does this mean for humanity? Besiroglu argues that automating labor could ultimately benefit society by driving 'explosive economic growth.' He points to a research paper he authored, suggesting that such a shift could lead to greater abundance, higher living standards, and entirely new types of goods and services. Of course, these benefits might depend on who owns the AI agents doing the work. If companies buy agents instead of developing them in-house, they could monopolize productivity gains. And there's a fundamental economic issue: if humans lose their jobs, how will they afford the goods and services being produced? Besiroglu responds by suggesting that even in a fully automated economy, human wages could rise in areas where AI can't compete. He adds that income doesn't only come from wages—people could rely on investments, property, or government support. 'Even in scenarios where wages might decrease, economic well-being isn't solely determined by wages,' he told TechCrunch. In theory, then, people might live off dividends or welfare funded by AI-generated value — assuming AI agents are taxed appropriately. While the vision behind Mechanize may sound extreme, the technical problem it aims to tackle is very real. The idea that every worker might eventually have a team of AI agents enhancing their productivity could indeed lead to economic growth. Besiroglu also acknowledges that today's agents are far from capable. They're inconsistent, have poor memory, struggle with complex tasks, and often veer off track when trying to execute long-term goals. That said, Mechanize is not alone in trying to solve these challenges. Tech giants like Salesforce, Microsoft, and OpenAI are investing heavily in agent platforms. A host of startups are also emerging, focusing on everything from task-specific agents to data curation and pricing models for agent-based systems. For now, Mechanize is looking to expand—and yes, they're hiring.
