Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI • Hacker News Board

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#41

Post by rusk » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:48 PM UTC

starvar2 wrote: post #35

rusk wrote: post #18

How’s this for a working theory. Economic actors that were established doing the “easy stuff” that got displaced first got a head start on everyone else and started low balling on the harder stuff and that’s why we’re seeing impacts in the parts of the economy that aren’t being directly hit by AI. It could explain why people who know stuff are finding themselves squeezed for cost in every direction even though their…

And where will the skilled workers go?

Correct you will be left with the people who couldn’t switch

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#42

Post by 1970-01-01 » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:48 PM UTC

olalonde wrote: post #21

These AI threads seem to attract the same kind of repetitive, low-effort dismissals that crypto threads used to.

Crypto failed and pivoted. One still cannot pay bills, taxes, buy medicine, transportation, etc. directly with crypto. It is fair to assume the same story will happen to AI.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#43

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#44

Post by Xalutiono » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

estetlinus wrote: post #29

Xalutiono wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My startup is using AI every day. My company (not my startup, my normal day to day work) spends millions on ai token every month. I use AI every day for different things. AI/GenAI disrupted already a lot of peoples jobs in real life. And Google states very early "However within jobs, people are using AI selectively: in a typical job AI is used for only ~21% of tasks." Did you read the article? Can you point out speci…

> My company spends millions on ai token every month How much profit does the AI company make from those tokens?

I don't know and that wasn't the point I made.

My company is a two digit billion dollar revenue company in the top 100.

My point was that real companies pay real money for AI.

But i use it daily at work and a lot of co-workers do too.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#45

Post by maccard » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

There is a lot of words here (I haven’t read the full report and I’m assuming it’s heavily AI generated but I will look later).

For an article about the AI economy, there is no mention of economy.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#46

Post by rayiner » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:53 PM UTC

meerita wrote: post #28

tomelders wrote: post #3

In other words - "We don't like the reporting around how bad the economics of AI are, so we're cherry picking our own data, presenting it out of context, and asking you to look at it through rose tinted spectacles."

I quite like that. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are simply not in a position to compete. They are always late to the party, and it is shameful. It shows that their managers are not capable of leading innovation. These companies need to go back to having real engineers drive innovation.

Knowing where the ball is going to be is a rare skill, and none of the people currently running those companies has that foresight. There’s a reason why there’s many QBs but only one Tom Brady.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#47

Post by tchalla » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:54 PM UTC

Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#48

Post by cryo32 » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:56 PM UTC

cube00 wrote: post #31

For example, automotive technicians and industrial mechanics use AI to interpret complex test results, debug electrical wiring, and inspect machinery for wear. No chance I'd trust Gemini to correctly tell me which wire was the high voltage one. You're absolutely right! I apologize for providing a factually incorrect explanation. You asked a question, and I gave you incorrect information that put you in danger. That f…

I suspect they’re also lying about the utility there as well.

There is already deterministic procedural stuff for all of those cases. Putting a chat bot in front of that is basically fucking stupid.

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#49

Post by cryo32 » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:58 PM UTC

olalonde wrote: post #21

These AI threads seem to attract the same kind of repetitive, low-effort dismissals that crypto threads used to.

Crypto, block chain, LLMs. All wealth concentrator scams with low to no economic feasibility. What do you expect? Everyone to delude themselves?

Re: Google’s ATLAS is a look at how people are using AI

#50

Post by nemomarx » Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 1:00 PM UTC

Xalutiono wrote: post #40

tokioyoyo wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t agree with the OP, and don’t think data is cherry-picked. But everyone is so deeply invested in this, that no article from any company can be taken as is. Reading the post, I had to keep thinking “why are they only talk about how people use it at work, and nothing about possible economic outcomes?”. Or “titled Understanding the AI Economy, but it avoids all the big questions”. Or “is it written for the invest…

You always have to make your own conclusions of course but it doesn't mean that it is useless or just wrong. What value does Google has to cherry-pick the occupation metrics?

They want to present AI as a growing and vital service so that shareholders think they're making good investments, right? Whether that's true or not, you know Google would always be putting the best appearance on it.