From: myfirstmillionpod
The advent of AI is perceived as a transformative event, likened to the invention of the internet or even fire [00:35:16]. This new “continent” is populated by “10 billion people” who are “Geniuses and willing to work for free” [00:51:00]. The shift in mindset from AI agents to “digital employees” or “digital people” highlights the profound implications for entrepreneurship and the economy [01:03:00]. It feels like “decades are happening” in days, marking a period of rapid change [01:25:00].
Potential Job Displacement
Even if AI development were to pause and only existing technologies were rolled out, it’s estimated that between self-driving cars and AI agents, approximately 20% of all current jobs could be eliminated [01:31:00]. This represents a significant shift in the labor market.
Current Automation in Business
Currently, AI is in its “AOL dialup phase,” but is already proving “pretty freaking cool” [02:05:00]. Much of the immediate impact is in “removing admin work” [05:17:00].
Specific Examples of AI in Action
- Meeting Preparation: An AI agent can prep users for meetings by texting summaries of past communications, participant bios from LinkedIn, and other relevant information 30 minutes beforehand [02:18:00]. This task was previously handled by a human assistant [02:36:00].
- Personal Assistants: AI can monitor stock portfolios and provide information about local events [02:41:00]. Tools like Lindy (acting as “Zapier for AI agents”) can add a “thinking” layer to automation, allowing for complex tasks like scheduling based on calendar availability and email content [02:54:00], [04:41:00]. This automation reduces “drift” that occurs with human assistants who might get busy or sidetracked [05:41:00].
- Restaurant Reservations: A custom Lindy bot can call restaurants (even those not on OpenTable), book reservations using an AI voice, add it to the calendar, and invite guests, even handling inquiries about being AI or knowing about allergies [06:19:00].
- Email Management: Tools like Fyxer read incoming emails, sort them by response necessity, and draft responses in the user’s language, improving over time [07:06:00].
- Meeting Minutes: Services like Fathom can sit in meetings, record notes, provide transcripts with highlights, summaries, and action items, effectively replacing human assistants for this task and freeing up significant time [14:40:00]. This offers a higher level of accountability by recording commitments [15:00:00]. Similar tools like Otter have been used for personal tasks like relationship offsites to generate action items and plans [15:34:00].
- Content Creation and Social Media: AI can summarize activity across social media channels and draft newsletter content in a specific writing style, reaching “80% of the way there” for ready-to-send content [17:21:00].
- Financial and Legal Advisory: AI can act as a Tax Advisor or Investment Analyst by processing financial data (e.g., CSV exports from accounting software). One user saved $100,000 in cash taxes by using AI to analyze investment structures [18:06:00]. It can also draft legal documents [19:31:00].
- E-commerce Photography: For e-commerce businesses, AI is nearing a point where it can replace the need for expensive photographers to create product or model photography, potentially saving 10,000 monthly [10:57:00].
- Inventory Forecasting: AI can analyze historical and real-time sales data to improve inventory forecasting, potentially reducing the need for human forecasters [12:25:00]. This is a common problem for physical product brands globally [13:01:01].
- Educational Curriculum: AI is used in schools to create curriculums and lesson plans for teachers [24:45:00].
- Medical Data Interpretation: AI can interpret medical test results (e.g., blood work) and provide “beautiful perfect bedside manner explanations” to patients, allowing for follow-up questions at leisure [25:10:00].
- Custom Software Creation: Tools like Replit allow users to create basic websites and apps without coding, democratizing software creation and potentially expanding the market for highly specific, niche software solutions [33:17:00].
Replacing Human Roles
Many of these AI tools are already replacing roles that would have been previously hired for or causing non-renewal of existing contracts [16:51:00]. Companies are even hiring “AI-first CFOs” whose job is to build financial automations, moving away from complex, human-managed Zapier systems [20:20:00].
Future Outlook and Job Evolution
The “K-Shaped Future”
The future of jobs is described as a “k-shaped future” [07:52:00]:
- Those who learn to use AI tools will “accelerate and go up at a way faster pace” [08:03:00].
- Those who ignore or pretend these tools don’t exist will “go down” due to being “outcompeted by companies that are not going to do that” [08:11:00].
The Rise of Virtual Employees
The expectation is that businesses will very soon have “virtual employees” [22:45:00]. Within the next 12 months, “AI co-workers” will be present in communication platforms like Slack [22:58:00]. Projections suggest that within 24 to 36 months, these virtual employees could be “4K video people that are indistinguishable from a human” on video calls [23:19:00].
Potential Disruption
This rapid advancement implies “mass disruption in terms of jobs” and a potential redefinition of what constitutes a “good business” [30:02:00].
AI’s Impact on the Software Industry
The landscape of software businesses is expected to change significantly. Traditionally, “vertical markets” or niche software (e.g., funeral home management software, golf course management software) were highly profitable due to limited competition [26:54:00]. However, AI tools like Replit can easily reproduce basic software in minutes [28:12:00]. This increased ease of software creation will lead to greater “commoditization” and “way more competition,” making it a “way harder world for software businesses” [28:40:00].
Software Evolution, Not Elimination
While some basic “crud database” software may become less valuable, complex software (e.g., social networks where value is in people and connections, or enterprise software with security and tailored services) will remain safe [31:51:00]. The market for software may also expand as new, previously unfeasible software ideas can now be brought to fruition by non-coders [32:53:00]. The analogy to media is drawn: while traditional media businesses declined, new social media businesses emerged, creating a larger overall market [36:20:00].