"Will AI replace you?" remains the $100M question.

It's the wrong question though.

It's asked based on a misdiagnosis of the problem.

This is particularly for the AI skeptics. The skeptics fall in two camps:

1. Want AI to replace their work. Those who expect any new technology to be at 100% capability from the get-go, but see tools which aren't there yet so they conclude"AI unfortunately can't — and probably never can — do the work".
2. Doesn't want AI to replace their work. Those who think if AI is ever capable of doing their current tasks, they will be out of a job.

The common concern?

Both just want smarter, more efficient work environments.

Their misdiagnosed problem boils down to:

(1) Technology isn't designed to (entirely) discard humans. It's designed to empower humans. Technology = leverage.

(2) Whether you yearn for "an AI takeover" or are scared of it, you're commoditizing your work = you're easily replaceable.

The answer is adaptability.

Zoom out. See the big picture. Where is the future of work?

Spoiler: AI is a core component of any job.

Which means: AI will increasingly replace your current tasks.

But note:

"replace your current tasks" ≠ "replace you"

BIG difference.

HUGE difference.

Let's zoom out to explain this.

All technology is, is a lever. It's a tool to give humans leverage.

As Archimedes put it

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world"

• The wheel was a lever to transport more effectively.
• The plow was a lever to cultivate crops more effectively.
• The printing press was a lever to disseminate information on a mass scale.
• The internal combustion engine was a lever to transport even more effectively.
• The personal computer was a lever to democratize information and computation.

All levers to increase humans' productivity.

All refined countless times.

All technology.

Same thing goes for AI.

Used in automations:

It's the lever to enable the reallocation of your human (creative) input to where it's needed — rather than wasting it on tedious but necessary tasks.

Used as an assistant:

It's your "god-like knowledge" assistant who won't complain about a thing, is available 24/7 and with its infinite capabilities merely relies on the quality of your instructions to perform.

Coding. Writing. Designing. Customer Support. Data analysis.

This applies to all of the above.

The vital detail: crap in, crap out.

Expect it to amplify what you already are capable of.

→ 1x writers will at best become 1.2x writers. mid x mid = Mid

→ Meanwhile, 10x writers will evolve into 100x writers. great x great = EXCELLENCE

So for most of you — you're looking to use it as an assistant. Use AI to work in tandem with human brilliance to augment your operation.

Building cool shit? Now you're building 10x more that's 127x cooler.

Building mid stuff? Now you're building 100x more that's 0.2x as cool.

Once again; taste, taste, taste.

Expect that it'll only amplify what you're capable of.

Don't get subscribed to the inflated narrative. The reality is AI is replacing our tasks, which means eliminating certain jobs — BUT while creating new jobs; net new jobs; new jobs where human creativity is actually needed.

Who's At Least Risk of AI Replacement

In 31 seconds, Rick Rubin makes it clear why AI won't replace A+ creatives entirely.

(video link at the bottom)

Here's why:

TL;DR

(1) "I'm giving cues to look for in yourself"

(2) "The whole thing is spiritual. It is magic"

(3) "The audience comes last"

(4) "It all has to do with the artist"

Taste. Is. Everything.

(1) "I'm giving cues to look for in yourself"

Run-DMC described Rick as

"Rubin had always been kinda Bruce Lee Zen-ish. "I can't teach you but I can help you explore yourself" — that type of sh#t".

That's the role of the creative; the A+ creatives.

→ AI is your exploratory guide to find new stuff.

→ Rubin is your exploratory guide to 'taste' your way to uncover something meaningful in yourself. Something AI can't do.

(2) "The whole thing is spiritual. It is magic"

There is no formula; no rules; no "right way".

"He just sat back, closed his eyes, and boom boom boom boom — asked about random and minuscule details here and there and it just clicked" — said every artist Rubin worked with.

How does Rubin describe this?

(paraphrasing)

"I have no idea what I'm doing. If I feel like something might be right, let's try it. Sometimes it hits, sometimes it doesn't. I just do what feels right."

In short; taste.

Taste. Is. Everything.

Why 'taste' and not 'experience'?

Because Rubin could do this when he was 20.

Skills and experience are learned; taste isn't learned

; taste is magic, something beyond intuition.

(3) "The audience comes last"

This goes against any and all conventional advice — particularly in business.

But as an artist, this should 100% of the cases be your approach — and even in business, it's not invalid advice at all.

Steve Jobs often emphasized how the consumer just doesn't know what they want yet. Jobs' madness is somewhat attributed to this "I know best" mindset — but he did, and it's what built Apple.

So this is to the crazy ones; the geniuses who hit the target no one else sees; to the ones with taste (like Rubin and Jobs).

(4) "It all has to do with the artist"

As soon as you make something for someone else—not for yourself—you compromise with your artistry.

Since you can effectively engineer what people want (in music, content, etc.), most go from art-first to business-first. That's not how Rick rolls.

Some great examples are David Senra, Joe Rogan, and Casey Neistat.

In music, Tracy Chapman and Rick Rubin are perfect examples.

In marketing, Mike Cessario 's Liquid Death is a great one.

They make (and keep) the product, messaging, and values authentic to themselves. Something only those with taste can do.

This doesn't carry over 1:1 to marketers, but there are common patterns — ones that are incredibly powerful to study, regardless of your role. That'll do for another day though.

Follow me, Nicolai Svane Kristensen , to learn more about creating world-class content while balancing virality with conversions as you build a magnetic, lasting and value-driven brand for yourself.

Through organic content only, we've generated +219m views, +44k unique website visitors and over 188x ROI (compared to paid ads) for a recent client.

If you're a founder doing $5M - $500M per year, apply to work with us here.