Note #2 to Ken: Will AI Threaten Your Business within Two Years?
Dear Ken,
If AI changes the world within two years, will your business be ready for this change?
I am hesitant to share this with you because I am pretty wary people trying to predict the future and/or trying to motivate via fear, but Daniel Kokotajlo and others recently wrote a sobering piece on his predictions on AI progress. Daniel is one of the people that left OpenAI some time ago because he believes that the company is moving forward AI irresponsibly. Here is a summary of that writing.
They suggest that AI progress is moving so fast that it could bring doom scenarios or forced AI slowdown scenarios as soon as the end of 2027. Both scenarios basically eliminate most human jobs “as we know them today” and businesses will not look the same.
My biggest takeaway from all of this is that AI may move faster than even I had originally forecasted. My forecast was 5-10 years before things like this would start happening, but it might happen sooner (although I am not a doomer). In the Neuron’s summary, they suggest this:
For Business Leaders: Start experimenting with deep AI integration now. Companies playing catch-up later might find it impossible. Plan for a world where intellectual labor costs plummet in key areas. Prioritize security and oversight for AI systems.
Consider that venture capital and other investment entities have invested more than $250 billion into AI companies over the last three years. They want to see returns on their investment soon, so they are pushing these AI startups to sell their AI products NOW as “finished working products”.
This is problematic for you. Why?
The foundational technology that enables AI is literally changing by the day (e.g., the race between OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, and others in developing large-language models).
Most AI startup companies use these foundational AI technologies as the core basis for their products.
This means that the technology foundation underneath these AI startup’s products is like moving quicksand.
If you buy into the sales argument of, “This suite of products will solve all your problems with AI,” then you are potentially building your company’s AI future on quicksand.
The problem is that you probably already have employees asking you for AI tools, or worse, are using unapproved AI tools with your business data. This means your business data is leaking out from your company.
Your greatest need right now is not AI tools. Your greatest need is wise strategic advice that assumes that AI is moving faster than most think, paired with talent and support that can speed up AI development within your company.
Okay, take some time to chew on this. I will try to lead you through some of these steps, especially since bluefoxlabs.ai has helped numerous companies with their AI transformation by embedding ourselves within the companies. Next week I want to talk to you about why you need to consider building an in-house PrivateGPT environment, rather than paying OpenAI or anyone else for their GenAI subscription.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joe, Your AI Doctor
These notes are for 'Ken' and 'Sookie,' the American names my young Korean immigrant parents adopted while navigating profound change as they moved to the US in the 1970’s. In the notes within this blog, I imagine them as young adults again, but now encountering change and uncertainty from today's AI shifts – Sookie with potential job uncertainty, Ken with business disruption. Drawing inspiration from their historical resilience as young immigrants facing the unknown, I'm compelled to write with empathy and offer truly helpful thoughts for anyone navigating AI's rapid evolution. Remember, this isn't financial or direct strategic advice, but a perspective to encourage your own thoughtful consideration. I do not identify myself as their son in these notes, but in reality, I write with a son’s heart.
My notes to Sookie will always be free, as I understand employees often navigate workplace changes with fewer resources and support systems. My notes to Ken will be offered at an accessible price point designed to be a worthwhile investment for businesses of any size looking to adapt to AI changes.