AI researcher launches startup to replace human jobs

Tamay Besiroglu, founder of the nonprofit Epoch, has launched a new startup called Mechanize. The startup aims to develop data, evaluations, and digital environments to automate various jobs.

While the long-term goal is full labor automation, the initial focus will be on white-collar work.

Besiroglu estimates the market potential at over US$60 trillion in global wages annually.

The announcement sparked mixed reactions. Critics raised concerns about job displacement and income distribution.

Anthony Aguirre voiced worries about the impact on human labor but acknowledged the strong economic incentives.

The startup is backed by high-profile investors like Nat Friedman, Daniel Gross, Patrick Collison, and Jeff Dean.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Today’s automation fears echo centuries of similar anxieties

Economic anxiety about machines replacing human labor has a remarkably long history, dating back to at least the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I denied a patent for an automated knitting machine specifically due to employment concerns 1.

Every major technological revolution has triggered similar fears, from the industrial revolution to the computer age. Historical evidence shows that while technology has eliminated certain jobs, economies have consistently created new forms of employment 2.

McKinsey research estimates that between 400-800 million workers globally could be displaced by automation by 2030, but history suggests new job categories will likely emerge to absorb much of this displacement 3.

The essay “Why Are There Still So Many Jobs?” points out that economists have consistently underestimated technology’s job-creating potential, with many new positions emerging in sectors that were previously unimagined 4.

Mechanize’s vision of “full automation” represents the latest iteration of this centuries-old tension between technological capability and human economic security.

2️⃣ Post-scarcity economic thinking is experiencing a renaissance

The vision of a post-scarcity society where basic needs are met with minimal human labor has deep intellectual roots, with economists like John Maynard Keynes predicting a future with significantly reduced work hours due to technological advancement 5.