100 YARDS Cofounder, Josh Mait, dives into all things AI…
Let’s talk about AI. And not in the way like ‘use ChatGPT to do XYZ annoying thing faster or better or never.’ And also not in the way like I have any fucking idea about what is coming next (and those that say they do are kind of…).
First of all, AI is going to steamroll the traditional definition of company: what a company is, what a company does, what is the employer-employee relationship, what is work (at a company) and what role companies play in society.
And the steamrolling will potentially happen pretty radically, pretty quickly—and will mean real change for many. So that could mean…
Traditional companies (maybe all companies) are reevaluating staffing in the context of the role of AI.
This may result in a significant decline in employee size amongst many companies.
Investments from VC and PE firms may also decrease because you need fewer people to build large, successful companies.
The gig economy only grows from here and blurs FT vs. Fractional.
I selfishly think and care about how companies tell their stories and express a POV to the market. I think this is going to get harder to do with the widespread adoption of AI that is happening now.
In the AIWorld there are many questions:
Did a man or machine do this—or both? Does it matter?
What happens when there is more magic in the world that most will never understand?
Ultimately, how much do people need to understand how the sausage is made?
What is perceived as ‘valuable’ (AI, people, results, etc.) and how do you talk about it?
How do you manage fear and trepidation as often the primary, initial emotions (along with holy shit that’s cool!)?
How much can we learn from other moments—iPhone/mobile, internet, other—or not?
Will this make us more or less loyal to brands and products?
Where does pricing power come from in the future?
These are big brain questions without a lot of data to look at to help us understand better.
One thing seems right: thinking and talking about your positioning to the market is probably even more essential than before. AI is a timescale accelerant. You don’t get years anymore. You can’t run 6-12 month ‘brand projects’ anymore. You have to figure out a way to be quick and move forward now. AI brands are always on in an AIWorld. That means they are always changing more rapidly than before.
Here are some starter ideas to consider that seem interesting if unproven:
Does AI know how to think out of the box? Not sure. It seems to make contrarian viewpoints more and more valuable. Write down 3 things your company sees differently than others and test them.
Being too perfect is a disastrous strategy imho. The young kids are going to hate it. Skepticism is only on the rise. Mix in a little humanity every once in a while.
Voice and the tone in which you communicate are now more important as communication gets flatter and less distinguishable overall.
Using ‘AI’ in your product or brand positioning is going to get old pretty quick. Marc Benioff just called it out.
What an amazing time to live in to TAKE A CHANCE, be boldly expressive, create words and ideas and things that no one has ever seen before. But be brave enough to take those chances and push the boundaries.
More questions than answers if we are being honest. Fun to talk about via email (joshmait@100yardstogo.com) or via a scheduled call here.
