Chief people officers—and Jamie Dimon—say AI can’t learn ‘human skills.’ The world’s youngest self-made billionaires want to prove them wrong

Group 1 - The core argument presented by industry leaders like JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella is that emotional intelligence (EQ) and critical thinking are essential skills that will endure despite the rise of automation and AI [1][2] - A Silicon Valley startup, Mercor, is challenging the belief that human judgment is unattainable for AI, aiming to enhance its AI by hiring professionals from diverse backgrounds to instill human-like skills [2][4] - Mercor's valuation reached $10 billion in November, making its CEO Brendan Foody and co-founders the youngest self-made billionaires, providing them with significant resources to advance their AI initiatives [3] Group 2 - Mercor's mission focuses on bridging the gap between machine learning and human nuance, emphasizing the importance of teaching AI judgment, nuance, and taste, which are traditionally human traits [4] - The shift towards high-skilled gig work is a response to a volatile labor market, with the World Economic Forum predicting that 39% of core skills will be disrupted by 2030, and 40% of firms plan to reduce their workforce due to AI automation [4] - Mercor is actively seeking contract workers with specialized knowledge in various fields, including investment banking, private equity, linguistics, and legal expertise, indicating a demand for "human-in-the-loop" expertise as entry-level roles decline [5]