The new agentic O-ring world

In the rapidly evolving world of AI agents, work demands have escalated to unprecedented levels, according to developers including Rishi Sharma and Alex Pezaris. Often requiring guidance or additional context, Sharma, 27, finds himself available to these agents around the clock, foregoing a regular sleep schedule. The cost of agents being blocked for eight hours is deemed too high, as they can complete their tasks at any time, even in the middle of the night.

Founders have long endured punishing hours to build groundbreaking technologies, but the capabilities of AI agents and the rapid evolution of the models powering them have elevated working oneself to the bone to a new level. "They just demand your attention," Sharma remarks. "Does it need anything? Can I help it in any way?"

Alex Pezaris, who works from 7:30 a.m. to 2 a.m., estimates that Proxon, a company employing six human developers, operates 30 times faster with the assistance of agents. Agent work leads to increased human work, as faster customer onboarding necessitates responding to more customer requests. Additionally, there is an effect of fear of missing out (FOMO) related to agents. Pezaris states, "Every minute that I'm not working, I'm missing out on not doing a week's worth of work."

The prospect of an AI leisure dividend is a topic of speculation, with some jokingly asking when it will arrive. However, as Katherine Bindley notes in The Wall Street Journal, it will arrive eventually, but not yet.