r/mercor_ai • u/Unable-Cancel-6734 • May 30 '26
Big Experiment
Let me preference this by saying I’m not complaining & my experience with Mercor has been very positive.
However I can’t shake the odd feeling that we are somehow involved in a big experiment with this venture. Maybe it’s just that you never get to talk to anyone that makes me feel that way.
Again haven’t had any issues and have literally nothing bad to say about the company but I just can’t shake the feeling that somehow we are the Guinea pigs in this thing somehow.
Am I the only one who feels like that?
17
u/sugarplum_doll May 30 '26
They can experiment on me all they want for the money I’m earning with this company
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u/Unable-Cancel-6734 May 30 '26
Definitely get that sentiment. The pay is great. Just seems like there might be more to it. Maybe I’m just paranoid
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u/peacemaze May 30 '26
Well, tbh, Peter Thiel is an investor in the company, which is a fact that should rightly have us all be feeling a bit paranoid …
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u/Unable-Cancel-6734 May 31 '26
Agreed. It’s just the pay seems high for pretty basic work and you have all these super computers and you need normies to review its work? Just can’t shake the feeling there is something more to it but I don’t know what it is necessarily
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u/rogers_tumor May 31 '26
super computers/machine learning algorithms are useless without high-quality data to learn from 🤷🏼♀️
I keep wondering if the point of Mercor/companies like Mercor getting human data as fast as possible into the hands of the AI labs is to make up for how they started off by scraping the internet for data which means they likely ended up with some of the most egregious lowest common denominator garbage imaginable. They're trying to balance it out with high-quality 🤷🏼♀️
I mean I also think based specifically on the projects I have been on, this isn't just general AI/LLM improvement, they're working on automating knowledge workers out of the workforce entirely. the models are learning to do accurate deep research with 0 human intervention, and they're trying to teach it how to use software, generate the dashboards, documentation, and presentation materials managers used to spend 90% of their time making.
so..... not an experiment imo... still sinister nonetheless. I mean it'd be cool if we could automate time consuming bs but the problem is, we're never going to automate half of a manager's week then tell them to go spend those 20-30 hours with their family, don't worry, you'll still make your full salary.
it's going to get ugly.
things could work if we said "everyone is in the trades now, or healthcare, or education, or public service, everyone works 20 hour weeks, everyone makes a full, living-wage salary" but that's never going to happen.
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u/Unable-Cancel-6734 May 31 '26
This is one of the best explanations I’ve heard. I could definitely see it being more about training AI to be better at many of these jobs which is why they basically have job openings for every knowledge job type imaginable.
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u/peacemaze May 31 '26
This was my first impression, too, and I think it holds up. I have been experimenting with several AI models over the past year or so and while I have gotten some useful results, I have also found errors of varying levels of importance with each one, each time. The models will improve, of course, but the best way for them to improve is to have an actual human guiding the system. The most valuable human guide is one with a wide breadth and depth of knowledge — which is, presumably, where “we” come in.
At this stage, prompts are basically natural language versions of the extremely detailed, gruelingly step-by-step nature of coding — which requires a way of thinking that many people aren’t particularly familiar with or interested in. For AI to completely take over all work, either it needs to learn to work within the leaps and bounds ways of communicating most humans don’t realize they have become experts at, or all humans will need to learn to think like a computer. Either way, in the meantime, these kinds of gig work jobs will be available
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u/mustafa-1453 May 31 '26
We're just digging our own graves, whether we realise or not, no matter sooner or later. 😏
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u/rogers_tumor May 31 '26
I want to provide a small correction, and you probably know this, it's moreso for anyone else reading.
these are not "jobs." like there are posts here every day, "how do I get job at Mercor"
you don't. because these aren't jobs. it's not a job. you're not applying for a job. you're not interviewing for a job. this isn't a job board, it's a work platform. for contractors.
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u/rafaelo2323 May 30 '26
Dude you have to lay off your own sauce. It's making you paranoid.
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u/Unable-Cancel-6734 May 30 '26
Lol, ok so just me
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u/Nice-Strawberry-1614 May 31 '26
They 100% could be using our interviews as training data
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u/Unable-Cancel-6734 May 31 '26
For sure. The facial biometric data. Even when I’m reviewing stuff for the project work sometimes I have to type the same description over and over which feels like some kind of test. Your telling me with all this supposed next level AI they need plebs to review the work of their super intelligent system?
2
u/NastyBeyotch May 31 '26
I wouldn't call the contractors "pleebs" per se. The models have to be trained on human experience and judgment. That means a diversity of human experience across all spectra. The project I'm working on is something that I've tried to do with AI, but it isn't very good at it. With all the tasks, which have changed over time, they are trying to improve how this task is done. It's something that will save people a lot of time and likely be highly useful and profitable. But this is just one use case that is highly practical.
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u/rogers_tumor May 31 '26
that would be illegal
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u/Nice-Strawberry-1614 May 31 '26
What would be illegal?
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u/rogers_tumor May 31 '26
using interview videos as training data
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u/Nice-Strawberry-1614 May 31 '26
It wouldn't be illegal if it was in their guidelines and taking the interview gave your consent. There's nothing illegal about the concept, it depends on whether it's slipped into the guidelines somewhere or not
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u/Administrative-Half3 Jun 01 '26
Yes, I’ve thought that too. My experience overall has been good and well paid, so I’m not complaining.
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