As I was diligently walking on the treadmill, trying to build up some basic stamina, YouTube’s algorithm introduced me to a recent video by GaryVee, a famous American influencer and CEO of a $300M+ marketing agency.
“What Does The Rise of AI Influencers Mean For Every Business”
The title itself was so intriguing that I couldn’t resist watching it. True to Gary’s style, the video was filled with brilliant insights.
Gary predicts that in the next ten years, AI influencers will pose a significant threat to human influencers and eventually replace them.
With today’s technology, this seems far-fetched, but when we think ten years ahead, it’s a very plausible prediction.
After all, we’ll be able to create AI influencers who look and act just like real people.
Gary makes a fascinating point here: the massive shift to AI influencers will be driven by the dissatisfaction brands have with human influencers.
“Brands pay a lot of money, then they don’t post it the way they want, or do the thing they want, or do another brand deal with their competitor the day after the 6-month exclusive…”
In extreme terms, brands find AI influencers much more attractive and economical than human influencers, who are often seen as uncooperative, opinionated, lacking business ethics, and expensive. AI influencers will work tirelessly, look just like real people, and be much cheaper.
Is this discussion only about influencers?
Since recognizing the rise of the AI era, I’ve had a vague notion of a future where “big corporations collapse.”
At least, the massive organizations with numerous employees we know today will disappear.
Brands aren’t just dissatisfied with influencers; they have the same complaints about their internal workforce.
Companies pay substantial salaries to employees, most of whom are more interested in their own benefits than the company’s needs. Office politics often overshadow the goal of getting work done efficiently. To keep a top-performing employee, a company must offer competitive salaries, make them feel valued, provide good opportunities, and ensure excellent benefits. In contrast, incompetent employees often stay through political maneuvering and do the bare minimum.
Humans are complicated to manage, which negatively impacts a company’s survival. Many S&P 500 companies struggle to keep up with the fast-paced changes in the world due to internal politics and rigid organizational structures.
What if AI were the team members, managers, executives, or even the CEO?
AI wouldn’t complain about not being able to take vacations and would work around the clock. It wouldn’t be late due to traffic or leave early because of personal issues. It wouldn’t get involved in office politics and could make critical decisions based on facts and measurable data without bias. And salary? That wouldn’t be a problem either. AI wouldn’t demand raises.
Saying “but it’s not human” seems pointless. No company would turn down cost savings and the elimination of emotional labor. Apart from a few key positions that require strong planning, insight, and ethical judgment to collaborate with AI, most positions will likely be filled by AI. We just don’t know exactly when and how yet.
AI influencers, AI CEOs, AI developers, AI marketers, AI designers…
In a world where we need to communicate and work with numerous AI colleagues, don’t you think we, humans should be the ones in charge? Shouldn’t they be telling our stories? We have human pride.
The term “solopreneur” is trending. There’s also the concept of “hyper-individuals(핵개인)” mentioned by Song Gil-young. OpenAI’s head, Sam Altman, claims that AI will enable numerous one-person unicorn companies to emerge, generating massive revenue.
One person can do more than ever before. Everything is becoming personalized. The influence of living individuals is becoming more valuable.
Solo individuals feel lonely. They create and find communities. They get captivated by the lives and characters of influential people, growing by giving and receiving influence.
This is happening now, and it will expand further. What we see today is a teaser for how the world will unfold in the future.
So, doesn’t the list of actions to take today become clearer as we prepare for the era when AI will permeate every aspect of our lives?
Seek ways to design your future self as an influential and valuable individual.
It’s about starting to walk that path slowly with AI that’s still in its infancy.
Don’t put it off another day.
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