Silicon Valley’s plan to automate everything

Over the past few weeks, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other major AI companies have launched products that are getting better at doing the tasks usually assigned to humans. Claude Code, a new coding program from Anthropic, can complete much of a software developer’s job—but far faster. Google added a widely available “workhorse model” for daily tasks. “Humans will still nudge these models along, of course, but they are engineered to help fewer people do the work of many,” Atlantic staff writer Matteo Wong writes.

Exactly how AI will be implemented in different workplaces is still unclear, but the technology’s advances are already creeping into the highest levels of governance. The Trump administration is reportedly testing a new chatbot with 1,500 federal employees at the General Services Administration and may release it to the entire agency soon—meaning that generative AI could be used to automate work by more than 10,000 workers who are responsible for more than $100 billion in contracts and services, according to Matteo. “Of course, federal agencies have been experimenting with generative AI for many months,” he writes. But given how much refinement this technology still needs, implementing its use carries important risks—especially if it’s not subjected to thorough testing, strict guardrails, and public transparency.

Today’s newsletter brings you stories about how AI can change the workforce:

• “Silicon Valley’s Plan to Automate Everything,” by Matteo Wong. Tech companies are unleashing AI products that do much more than answer questions.
• “A Chatbot Is Secretly Doing My Job,” by Ryan Francis Bradley. On creating serviceable copy using ChatGPT (From 2023)
• “DOGE’s Plans to Replace Humans With AI Are Already Under Way,” by Matteo Wong. The civil service is being turned over to machines.
• “Here’s How AI Will Come for Your Job,” by Charlie Warzel. Instead of being replaced by robots, office workers will soon be pressured to act more like robots themselves. (From 2023)
• “America Already Has an AI Underclass,” by Matteo Wong. Search engines, ChatGPT, and other AI tools wouldn’t function without an army of contractors. Now those workers say they’re underpaid and mistreated. (From 2023)

— Stephanie Bai, associate editor