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Every now and then, a Silicon Valley startup emerges with a mission so extreme that it blurs the line between reality and satire.
Such is the case with Mechanize, a startup founded by the renowned AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu, also known for founding the non-profit AI research organization Epoch.
Mechanize’s goal, as stated by Besiroglu, is to achieve “the full automation of all work” and “the full automation of the economy.” This essentially means replacing every human worker with an AI agent bot by providing the necessary data, evaluations, and digital environments for automation.
While the startup’s mission has received criticism for its potential impact on human labor, Besiroglu clarified that their immediate focus is on white-collar work rather than manual labor.
The market potential for Mechanize is substantial, with Besiroglu estimating that workers in the US are paid around $18 trillion annually, and globally, the number exceeds $60 trillion per year.
Despite the backlash, Besiroglu argues that automating labor could lead to economic growth, higher standards of living, and the creation of new goods and services. He believes that human wages in an AI-automated world could actually increase due to their value in complementary roles that AI cannot perform.
While Besiroglu’s vision may seem extreme, the technical challenges he is addressing are real. The current limitations of AI agents, such as unreliability and inability to complete tasks independently, are being tackled by various companies and startups in the AI field.
In the midst of this technological evolution, Mechanize is actively hiring for those interested in joining their mission.
