MIT paper: AGI's binding constraint is human verification bandwidth, not intelligence
Afinetheorem · x · 2026-10-10
Christian Catalini (MIT), Xiang Hui (WashU) and Jane Wu (UCLA) published 'Some Simple Economics of AGI', arguing that as AI drives the marginal cost of measurable execution toward zero, the fault line in labor is no longer skill but measurability: anything that can be measured can be verified and automated. With autonomous agents acting broadly, the binding constraint on growth shifts from intelligence to human verification bandwidth — the scarce capacity to validate outcomes, audit behavior, and underwrite responsibility. Commenters note robotics extends this, while 'messy' high-complementarity jobs stay human.
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