The article warns that massive AI deployment could fail if human dynamics are ignored. Four tech hyperscalers are expected to invest $650 billion in data centers this year, with AI-linked stocks now representing 50 to 57% of the S&P 500. The author introduces the « Jersey Pump Principle »: in 1949, New Jersey banned self-service gas pumping despite the invention of automatic nozzles, to protect jobs. Autonomous vehicles in San Francisco and Austin faced similar backlash, with citizens sabotaging robotaxis using traffic cones. Ford’s example, who had to double wages to reduce a 370% turnover rate, and Toyota’s approach of empowering workers to optimize automation show that incentive alignment is crucial. Without tangible benefits for employees, trillions of dollars in AI investment risk remaining underutilized.
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