What If the Worst-Case Predictions Are Right?

Subject: The Future of AI—What If the Worst-Case Predictions Are Right?

AI is going to change everything or... change everything.

The real question is how it’s going to change things.

A lot of the doomsday predictions paint a bleak picture.

Mass job loss

AI replacing entire industries

Wealth merging into the hands of a few

Rest of the world? Fighting over scraps.

I don’t buy it. But let’s play the game for a second.

Let’s assume the worst predictions are right. AI replaces 80% of jobs. Middle class shrinks. Rich get richer. The cost of entry into new businesses skyrockets because a handful of companies own all the useful AI.

What should you do?

How do you make money in that world?

The answer isn’t to sit back and complain. It’s getting ahead while there’s still time.

Step 1: Own the AI, Don’t Let It Own You

If AI becomes the dominant force in business, the last thing you want to be is a user. You want to be an owner.

Right now, AI is cheap. You can spin up automation, build tools, and integrate it into your workflow for next to nothing. But what happens when AI moves behind paywalls? When the free or cheap options disappear?

The businesses that will thrive aren’t the ones that use AI. They’re the ones that own the systems, datasets, and customer relationships AI interacts with.

That means:

• Building audiences

• Creating proprietary data

• Owning how AI interacts with your business

If you just use AI the way everyone else does, you’re replaceable. If you build something unique with it, you’re not.

Step 2: Sell What AI Can’t Do (Yet)

Let’s say AI gets ridiculously good. So good that it wipes out entire industries.

What won’t it do?

Here’s a short list:

• AI won’t build actual relationships.

• AI won’t be able to replace trust.

• AI won’t create new ideas. It’ll remix what already exists.

If you’re in a space that requires trust, relationships, and true innovation, you’ll always have a seat at the table.

That means:

• Coaching and consulting (AI might provide info, but people pay for trust and results).

• Curating and filtering (The more AI floods the world with content, the more valuable someone who filters the noise becomes).

• Building community (AI won’t replace real human connection).

People are going to drown in AI-generated content. They’ll still pay top dollar for someone who can help them make sense of it all.

Step 3: Automate Now, Before AI Gets Expensive

The biggest opportunity right now is automation.

If you’re not automating parts of your business, or better yet, automating services for other people, you’re leaving money on the table.

Right now, AI is cheap. If OpenAI, Google, and other companies consolidate power, it won’t stay that way.

The smart move?

Automate:

• Lead generation and follow-ups

• Customer support and basic interactions

• Repetitive tasks in your industry

If you’re building a business, automate before you need it. If you don’t have a business, selling automation as a service is one of the fastest ways to make money right now.

Step 4: Sell the Picks & Shovels

The people who made the most money during the gold rush weren’t the miners. They were the ones selling the tools.

AI is the new gold rush. There’s money in mining, but there’s more money in selling the picks and shovels.

That means:

• Selling AI-powered tools

• Teaching businesses how to implement AI

• Creating plug-and-play automation systems

Most businesses have no clue how to use AI properly. They don’t need another AI tool. They need someone to bridge the gap between where they are and where they need to be.

Step 5: Own a Business, Not a Job

The worst-case AI future hurts people who have jobs. It doesn’t hurt people who own businesses.

If AI is going to replace entire industries, you don’t want to be on payroll. You want to be the one writing payroll.

Start something now. Even if it’s small.

The AI revolution will create new markets, additional needs, and new problems. Business owners solve problems. Employees get replaced by solutions.

Final Thought: Be Early, Not Late

If AI changes everything, the biggest mistake you can make is waiting.

The people who jumped into AI automation early? They made a fortune. The people who sat on the sidelines? They’re still waiting for permission.

You don’t need permission. You need action.

Use AI now. Automate. Build. Sell what AI can’t do.

If the worst-case predictions are wrong? You still win.

If they’re right? You win even bigger.

The only way to lose is to do nothing.