As you are no doubt aware I have been shouting “the algorithms are coming” for close on ten years now. I am still firmly of the opinion that AI is the great story of our time. You individually, you corporately, must figure out how to ride the AI wave pdq.
However, it is also clear to me that many people and many organizations will not be able to ride it in any meaningful or satisfactory way. By inclination, skill, existing vested interest, ignorance, stupidity, disinterest, or circumstance (and a host of other inhibiting factors), many will be unable to compete against the unstoppable force in front of them.
The question then arises if one can’t join the AI revolution how does one beat it? And if it can’t be beaten, just survive? Here are five approaches that will give you a fighting chance.
1 Join the trade renaissance - for a generation or two we’ve pushed young people towards university and away from trade and technical schools. The net net? We’ve got millions of unemployed journalists and young people in “bullsh-t jobs” (about to be eviscerated by AI) and a dearth of electricians, plumbers, and carpenters etc. The trades are set to rise again, particularly those super charged through leveraging new technology (including AI). You might call it “Trade +”.
2 Keep it local - digital platforms create global superstar economic effects; i.e., everyone around the world uses ChatGPT or puts their money in Nvidia. “Local” has withered in the last 40 or 50 years, as you’ve no doubt noticed the last time you went downtown. Young people (and their elder financial backers) have got to focus on making things happen where they are rather than dreaming of heading to the big city or crushing it on the big platform.
3 Be of customer service - one of the US’s USPs used to customer service. No longer. Now the kid at the checkout struggles to look you in the eye. Take a trip to your local ACE - the only place where the customer is still king or queen. Replicate that “bed side manner” and realize that it’s a truth that we do really remember how people make us feel, not just what they sell us.
4 Make the price right - the explosion of greedflation in recent years has seen businesses of all stripes forget how to compete via price. Get out there and lowball. It’s worked for a thousand years. It’s good for another thousand imvho.
5 Keep your overheads low - offices, vehicles, clothes, brochures etc etc; yes, all very nice and all marketing collateral. But at the end of the day no more than nice to haves. Get 1 to 4 right and everything else will take care of itself.
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Sure, get a Ph.D in computer science. Get a job at OpenAI or McKinsey. You are off to the races. But if you can’t, remember this ancient wisdom above, straight to you from the real world. You’re welcome. And good luck.
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