iamtrask: AI progress is PMs paying Mercor to label data for target markets
iamtrask · x · 2026-10-04
iamtrask argues that AI progress happens because a product manager says 'we need to increase accuracy on XYZ markets to make more money,' then spends big via data firms like Mercor to have humans label that data — and the next model version gets better at exactly those things. His take frames capability gains as a commercial, demand-driven data procurement loop rather than a mystical breakthrough.
Related event: Ex-OpenAI Safety Lead Says AI Progress Driven by Money, Not Intelligence(2 posts)→
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