The intense competition between tech giants to create the most powerful AI has been dubbed the “great AI race.” But for the thousands of human workers who power this competition, it feels less like a race to the top and more like a race to the bottom. In the quest for speed and market dominance, worker pay, conditions, and well-being are being systematically sacrificed.
This race to the bottom is evident in the relentless drive for efficiency. To cut costs and accelerate development, companies are squeezing their human workforce harder than ever. Deadlines are shortened, quotas are increased, and any time spent on careful, quality work is seen as a drag on productivity. The human element is treated as a bottleneck to be optimized, not a source of value to be nurtured.
It’s also a race to the bottom in terms of compensation and job security. The industry relies on a contract-based, gig-economy model that allows it to access a flexible, on-demand workforce without the costs of traditional employment. This means low wages, no benefits, and the constant threat of layoffs, all while the industry itself is generating unprecedented wealth.
Ultimately, this race is unsustainable. A system built on burning out its most essential workers is destined to face a crisis of quality. The shortcuts being taken today to win the race will inevitably lead to the flawed and dangerous products of tomorrow. For the workers caught in the middle, the finish line is nowhere in sight.