⏳ TL;DR
- Tamay Besiroglu, a well-known AI researcher, launches Mechanize to fully automate human labor.
- The startup targets white-collar sectors first, tapping into a $60 trillion market.
- The mission has triggered strong backlash, raising concerns about job displacement and economic disparity.
- Besiroglu argues automation can unlock prosperity, though critics remain skeptical.
- Mechanize enters a competitive field alongside startups like Artisan, which is developing AI employees.
🧠 AI Researcher Launches Mechanize to Replace Human Workers
Tamay Besiroglu, the founder of the nonprofit AI forecasting organization Epoch, has launched a bold new initiative that could reshape the global workforce as we know it.
The new startup, Mechanize, is built on a radical premise:
“Our goal is the full automation of the economy,” said Tamay Besiroglu in a public post on X (formerly Twitter).
“We want to build AI systems that can do the jobs people do today—eventually, all of them.”
This declaration immediately set off a storm of discussion across the tech industry, academic circles, and social media. Critics questioned the intent behind such an aggressive push toward total labor automation, while proponents saw it as an inevitable and necessary leap toward the future.
Besiroglu, a respected figure in the AI safety and alignment research space, is now attempting to shift gears from theoretical forecasting to direct product development.
🎯 Targeting White-Collar Jobs First
While most automation conversations focus on manufacturing or manual labor, Mechanize is aiming higher—or more precisely, “whiter.”
The company is building infrastructure and systems to automate white-collar jobs—those typically performed by knowledge workers in fields like finance, customer service, research, and management.
Some of their core focuses include:
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Building simulated virtual office environments where AI can be trained and benchmarked.
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Creating standardized data and performance metrics to measure the productivity of AI agents.
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Developing training pipelines and toolkits to help companies integrate AI agents into knowledge workflows.
“We’re not trying to build toys,” said Besiroglu.
“We’re aiming for systems that can handle intellectually demanding tasks with the same reliability and productivity as a competent employee.”
Mechanize is calculating its Total Addressable Market (TAM) by measuring the entire global wage base. According to Besiroglu, this figure stands at approximately $60 trillion, representing wages paid to workers around the world.
⚖️ Ethical and Economic Concerns Rise
Mechanize’s ambitious pitch has not gone unnoticed—and certainly not unchallenged.
The company’s mission has sparked intense debate among AI ethicists, labor economists, and social commentators. Many fear that total automation could exacerbate inequality, eliminate meaningful employment, and deepen the divide between tech elites and the broader population.
One of Besiroglu’s own associates at Epoch took to X, joking:
“Yay just what I wanted for my bday: a comms crisis.” — Unnamed Epoch director
While the comment was tongue-in-cheek, it underscored the controversial nature of Mechanize’s vision, even among insiders.
Critics raise several points of concern:
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The risk of mass job displacement across service and professional industries.
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The concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few tech companies.
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The loss of human purpose and community identity tied to work.
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The challenge of transitioning to a post-work economy without sufficient safety nets.
🌍 Besiroglu’s Vision: Productivity and Prosperity
In the face of growing scrutiny, Besiroglu has defended Mechanize’s aims. He argues that total automation could lead to a new era of abundance, where people are freed from labor and economies thrive on AI-driven productivity.
“Wages may fall, but that doesn’t mean people have to suffer,” explained Besiroglu.
“They could derive income from dividends, rents, or government transfers. We have to rethink how value flows through society.”
He believes that AI systems capable of doing all economically useful tasks could:
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Produce goods and services at a fraction of current costs.
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Free humans from repetitive and cognitively demanding labor.
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Allow for the reallocation of resources to creativity, leisure, and well-being.
Besiroglu also sees this as a moral imperative: if machines can do our work better and more efficiently, why shouldn’t we let them?
However, he acknowledges the path forward will require major policy changes, including income redistribution models, strong social safety nets, and global cooperation on regulation.
🤖 Mechanize Joins an Emerging AI Frontier
Mechanize is not alone in the race to automate work.
Just days before its launch, another startup called Artisan raised $25 million in Series A funding for its AI-based “employees.” Their flagship agent, Ava, operates as a business development representative, managing outbound sales from start to finish—including lead generation, messaging, and meeting scheduling.
Other companies are working on:
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Customer support agents.
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AI executive assistants.
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Legal and financial document processors.
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Research and knowledge workers.
Mechanize, however, differentiates itself by its end goal: it does not want to just automate some jobs. It wants to automate all of them.
🔮 What Comes Next?
Mechanize’s approach marks a watershed moment in the AI landscape. Its founders are not just building tools—they’re attempting to reimagine the entire economic structure.
Whether it’s a utopian promise or a dystopian warning, the implications are vast:
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Will governments step in with universal basic income policies?
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Can societies handle a world without work?
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Will human creativity and collaboration still matter in a machine-dominated economy?
One thing is certain: Mechanize has triggered a conversation that is far from over.
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