😨Silicon Valley AI Startup Targets Global Workforce

Today we will discuss:

• AI startup seeks global workforce automation—Mechanize sets out to automate jobs across industries, but critics fear economic consequences

• Don’t miss this week’s Workflow Wednesday—AI problem solving made easy with AI-powered reflection using Mindsera, readability boosts from Hemingway Editor, and automated downtime alerts via Make.com + OpenAI + Gmail; now available at only $20/month! 

• AI 2027 forecast—Experts predict AGI and superintelligence as early as 2027

• In other AI news today—Google demos AI glasses powered by Gemini, Meta advances AI age detection on Instagram, OpenAI’s new reasoning models hallucinate more than previous versions, and Huawei is set to ship a new AI chip as China seeks Nvidia alternatives

• Saved the best for last—9 must-try AI tools

New Silicon Valley startup Mechanize wants to replace all human workers with AI, fully automate the global economy

Key Points 

• Mechanize, founded by AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu, wants to automate all work and the economy.

• Besiroglu claims full automation could boost economic abundance, but skeptics fear it may worsen inequality and instability.

♨️News - Mechanize, a new startup from famed AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu, is under fire after announcing its goal: “the full automation of all work” and “the full automation of the economy.” 

Besiroglu, who also founded the respected research institute Epoch, introduced Mechanize on X, sparking immediate backlash from the AI community and even some within his own organization.

🚩A controversial mission - Mechanize plans to build the data, evaluations, and environments needed to replace human workers with AI agents. Besiroglu described the startup’s market opportunity as “absurdly large,” citing $60 trillion in annual global wages. 

While he clarified the focus is currently on white-collar jobs, critics say the mission could undermine Epoch’s credibility and damage trust in independent AI research.

😵‍💫Big promises, bigger doubts - Besiroglu argues that fully automating labor could lead to “explosive economic growth” and a higher standard of living. He also claims humans will find more valuable complementary roles. 

Still, concerns linger. If AI agents do all the work, who is left to earn and spend? Besiroglu suggests income from rents, dividends, and government welfare could fill the gap, but many find that vision hard to swallow.

🤖The real challenge - While the big-picture dream sounds extreme, the technical problem Mechanize wants to solve (making AI agents actually useful) is a real one. For now, human workers still have the edge.

Read the full story here. 

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AI 2027 predicts AGI in just two years, superintelligence soon after

Key Points 

• AI 2027 forecasts AGI’s arrival by 2027, followed by ASI.

• While some experts remain skeptical, others support the forecast, with predictions aligning with DeepMind and Anthropic’s outlook.

☕News - A newly released forecast, AI 2027, predicts that artificial general intelligence (AGI) will be achieved by 2027, with artificial superintelligence (ASI) following closely behind. 

Developed by AI researchers from institutions like OpenAI and The Center for AI Policy, this detailed projection provides a quarter-by-quarter timeline of anticipated AI advancements, including multimodal models with advanced reasoning and autonomy.

🔮Notable predictions - The forecast predicts AGI, capable of matching or surpassing human intelligence in nearly every cognitive field, could arrive by 2027. ASI, a system far beyond human capability, could follow soon after. 

Despite widespread excitement, some experts, including Ali Farhadi from the Allen Institute for AI, question the scientific basis of these predictions. However, others, like Jack Clark from Anthropic, support the timeline, which aligns with Google DeepMind’s outlook on AGI’s arrival by 2030.

🤓Why it matters - The potential of AGI brings both extraordinary promise and risks. AI 2027 presents scenarios where a misalignment of values could lead to catastrophic consequences, including human extinction. 

While experts also acknowledge the possibility of a positive transformation, they emphasize the urgency of preparing for AGI’s arrival, including developing safety measures and regulatory frameworks, and investing in human-AI collaboration. 

The forecast serves as a call to action for governments, businesses, and individuals to start preparing for what may come sooner than expected.

Read the full story here.