Garicano’s *Messy Jobs* says AI will reshape work, not just eliminate jobs
soumitrashukla9 · x · 2026-07-24
Messy Jobs argues AI will reshape work, not simply erase it
This post points to a discussion with economist Luis Garicano about his book Messy Jobs: The Work That AI Cannot Reach.
The book’s core argument is that popular doom scenarios about AI wiping out millions of jobs miss how work actually functions. AI may automate many tasks, but jobs bundle together judgment, coordination, accountability, tacit knowledge, and human relationships.
The authors argue that:
- Some roles will disappear, but many more will be reshaped.
- The most valuable human work is often the least “task-like” and the hardest to automate.
- AI changes not only careers, but also firms, labor markets, and the wider economy.
The book is presented as a practical framework for workers, students, parents, managers, and leaders trying to understand what stays valuable when cognition becomes cheaper.
More from AGI Musings
- OpenAI futurist says intelligence has a physical ceiling, not infinite takeoff — jachiam0 · 2026-07-24
- LLMs could endanger the entire free and libre software ecosystem, author says — jedisct1 · 2026-07-24
- A post argues transformative tech turns yesterday’s average output into today’s baseline — toptickcrypto · 2026-07-24
- DeepSeek AGI talk becomes a reminder that money buys time and freedom — A_K_Nain · 2026-07-24
- Writers without a known name may now be presumed AI-generated, author warns — burkov · 2026-07-24
- AGI may arrive in less time than it took to get from GPT-3.5 to today — ChrisGPT · 2026-07-24