A future of work with 10 million jobs freed and created
For serial entrepreneur Yi Shi, the rise of artificial intelligence is not about replacing the human workforce, but liberating it. As the founder and CEO of the AI powerhouse FlashIntel, Shi has embarked on his most ambitious venture yet: a vision to “replace the work of 10 million people” while simultaneously creating 10 million new jobs within the next decade. This dual mission, fueled by a philosophy he calls Effective Accelerationism (e/acc), positions FlashIntel not just as a technology company, but as a potential architect of a new economic era.
The central force in this vision is the rise of the AI agent: autonomous software designed not just for simple automation, but to perform complex, multi-step tasks that traditionally required significant human effort. By building these “agentic AI” systems, Yi Shi aims to fundamentally transform inefficient business processes, particularly in the Go-to-Market (GTM) and Customer Experience (CX) sectors.
From Avazu to FlashIntel: The entrepreneurial journey of Yi Shi
Before turning his attention to AI, Yi Shi built a career defined by innovation and successful exits. His journey began with Avazu Inc., an ad tech firm that was acquired for approximately $350 million. He followed this success with DotC United Group, a consumer internet company that quickly achieved “unicorn” status, and the dockless bike-sharing service, oBike, which disrupted urban mobility before its own acquisition.
This track record proves Yi Shi is a seasoned builder, but with FlashIntel AI, his focus has shifted. His previous ventures optimized existing models; FlashIntel aims to reinvent the fundamental nature of work itself. His inspiration? A deep frustration with the countless repetitive, low-value tasks that consume human potential in the corporate world. As he articulated in a January 2025 interview with Entrepreneur, AI agents can handle these duties, “so humans can concentrate on creativity and innovation”.
FlashIntel’s “agentic AI” and the liberation of low-value tasks
While many companies are deploying narrow AI solutions for specific tasks, FlashIntel is building a modular, “agentic system” that evolves alongside businesses. The platform’s tools, such as the Inbound AI SDR Agent and FlashAI voice agents, can autonomously handle lead qualification, automate outreach, and provide real-time lead intelligence, among other functions.
This approach, rooted in Yi Shi’s belief in generalization based on concepts like Kolmogorov Complexity, allows FlashIntel’s AI to deliver measurable value and adapt dynamically. The ultimate goal is to free up human employees from mundane processes, allowing them to focus on high-impact, strategic work that generates greater value for the company and fosters personal growth.
Beyond automation: An ethical roadmap with Effective Accelerationism
Yi Shi’s vision is not without its critics, and he is a public proponent of Effective Accelerationism (e/acc), a philosophy advocating for the responsible advancement of technological progress. Shi argues that liberating jobs is not about mass displacement, but about creating new, more meaningful opportunities. He stresses the ethical responsibility to manage this transition, ensuring that as AI takes over low-value tasks, humans are upskilled and re-focused on higher-order skills like creativity and strategy.
This emphasis on a harmonious human-AI collaboration is crucial to his plan. He posits that by embracing this technological shift responsibly, society can address some of its greatest challenges by leveraging human creativity and insight, now unburdened by digital drudgery.
The human element: How Yi Shi plans to create 10 million new jobs
Yi Shi’s most compelling vision centers on creating 10 million new jobs. By dramatically increasing efficiency with AI agents, businesses can unlock new growth that requires human oversight, creativity, and strategic input. This could manifest in several ways:
- New roles for AI management: Humans will be needed to supervise, train, and orchestrate the growing army of AI agents.
- Focus on high-level strategy: With AI handling the tactical details, human teams can dedicate their time to long-term planning, problem-solving, and innovation.
- Emergence of new industries: The efficiencies created by AI will lower barriers to entry and spur the creation of new business models, each requiring new skills and human roles.
As FlashIntel expands globally—including a recent expansion into Japan and a high-profile presence at SuperAI 2025—Yi Shi’s blueprint for the future of work is taking shape. The ultimate success of his mission will depend not only on the technology, but on the collaborative journey he charts for humans and AI working together.
