Do Not Procrastinate on AI

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Welcome to another issue of Passionate Income.

Today we’ll be discussing the importance of staying up-to-speed on artificial intelligence. In particular, why falling behind early in the game could have disastrous consequences for your career.

Let’s dive in.

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Let’s start by laying out a hypothetical scenario you may face in the near future.

And not some random “one in a million” type thing.

Instead, I want to paint a picture of something that is already happening to a small handful of people. And if AI continues growing at its current pace, something that will happen to an increasing number of people over the coming years.

So imagine this…

The year is 2025.

ChatGPT is now so advanced it can mimic your writing style - with perfect rhythm, grammar, punctuation and syntax - in less than one second.

In addition, the fact it’s plugged into both X and a variety of news sites means it has access to the world’s most up-to-date information 24 / 7 / 365.

Midjourney has become so good you can upload a random photo and adjust the clothes someone is wearing, the background, the lighting and most anything you want. And not only that, the image you get in response is just as perfect - if not better - than what a professional photographer would deliver.

And for the first time in history, someone who’s never ever seen a video camera uses AI to create full-length, award-winning film.

Sound a little futuristic?

While this might not happen 12 months from now, the above scenario is coming. And it's coming sooner than most people realize.

If you’re not a heavy AI user, you might not realize just how fast the space is evolving.

But if you look at the improvements made from ChatGPT 3.5 to ChatGPT 4.0, and Midjourney v5 to v6, it’s mind-boggling just how rapidly these programs are improving.

And as more time passes, and these companies make more money - allowing them to attract higher quality employees that help them grow even faster - the generative AI space will continue advancing at breakneck speed.

Which puts me, you, and tens of millions of freelancers, experts and “digital entrepreneurs” at risk. Because no matter what space you operate in, it’s likely an AI will be able to do a better job than most humans in the very near future.

Think I’m being dramatic?

That this is a bunch of click-bait fear mongering?

Consider the following:

• For the average person, ChatGPT + Turbo Tax makes it unnecessary to hire a human accountant

• Programs like LegalReview.ai and DeepJudge.ai eliminate the need for attorneys to draft legal documents from scratch

• OpenAI - makers of ChatGPT - are training their programs to replace software engineers entirely

• Banking heavyweight JP Morgan is developing an AI-powered Investment Advisor

In short, AI is coming for white-collar jobs at an increasing speed.

Now, as someone who’s self-employed, you might be wondering what this has to do with you given you don’t “have” a 9-5 job?

But here’s what most people aren’t thinking about:

Unless you run an eCommerce Store, in which case you sell something physical, odds are the service you provide is similar (if not identical) to what most white collar “employees” do for their employers.

Meaning, if you’re a freelancer, consultant or provide agency services - meaning your customers/clients are other businesses - odds are you serve the same function as an employee.

You just do so on a contract basis. Meaning…

Any development that puts employees at risk puts freelancers, consultants and agencies at risk as well. If an AI can do it better than a human, your career / business could be in jeopardy.

So what’s the solution?

At the end of the day, someone has to push the buttons to operate these AIs.

And even if we get to the point where AI programs run themselves, which is already happening with self-powered computers and GPTs - someone has to double-check the output to ensure it meets the company’s standards / requirements.

Given this, the best way to “AI proof” your job is to become that person. How?

Become the person who understands how to push the AI buttons. Learn relevant skills so that you’re the one double-checking the AI’s output (instead of being the one who’s replaced by the AI).

Yes, this is a scary and dystopian future w'e’re discussing. But this isn’t some hypothetical that’s 25 years from happening.

Instead, AI is already taking people’s jobs. And the more advanced these programs become, the more jobs they’re going to take.

As one of my favorite writers once said:

Wishing, dreaming and hoping this AI stuff doesn’t happen is a form of delusion. It’s a form of ignorance, similar to sticking your head in the sand when everything around you is collapsing.

The better solution?

See the world for the way it really is.

AI is here and it’s here to stay.

Similar to how - in 2023 - it would be impossible to hold down 99% of jobs if you didn’t understand how to use a computer, in the future it will be impossible to hold down a job if you don’t know how to use AI.

And just because you’re self-employed doesn’t mean you’re safe.

Because as we discussed above, most people providing B2B services are nothing more than unofficial, part-time employees.

💡 Takeaway: As of today, AI has not replaced an alarming number of jobs.

But as more people learn how to use artificial intelligence to become more productive, it’s not the robots you need to worry about. Instead, the biggest threat to most people’s careers is them being replaced by another candidate who’s more skilled at using AI.

I'll leave you with this quote…

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