The "move to San Francisco" of AI learning (except you don't have to move)

(and you don’t have to be an AI tool simp either)

If you’ve ever noticed how some people seem to just "get" new tech faster than others, this is for you.

It's about where they position themselves. Here's how to do that with AI without being obnoxious about it.

I’m guessing here as for legacy spaces that might be slower to adopt AI, you could be in industries like traditional publishing, old-school manufacturing, some parts of the legal sector, certain government agencies, some areas of education, the list goes on.

These industries often have deeply ingrained processes that go back decades, maybe even centuries.

No matter what industry you're in, you gotta figure out where AI actually makes sense for YOU. I’m not saying jumping on every well-funded new AI tool that pops up. That's how you end up being that person who's always talking about the latest tech but never actually getting shit done.

But if you're serious about AI and don’t need to be convinced, I’m gonna say something everyone might not like that will make adopting and benefiting from AI feel like a pull, not a push.

Being in tech helps a ton.

I’m in SaaS and there are quite literally too many opportunities in AI. Companies are actually over-indexing on AI right now (which I have a newsletter coming up that explains why – using the dot com bubble as an example – why that’s a good thing for users and businesses in the long run). People in SaaS f’ing love tech and so do I.

People in SaaS will definitely nerd out with you on AI topics.

I’ll be at HubSpot’s Inbound Conf in Boston in September this year, and there are dozens of talks on AI.

Point is, if you’re in a niche where people are not naturally experimental, that’s a sign that it’s gonna be pushing a 3-ton boulder up the craggy side of Mt. Kilimanjaro just for you to get some damn skin in the game on AI. You’ll be tripping on red tape for years.?

And I’m not wired for that type of environment. I need open space to freely and creatively experiment all the time.

I’m not saying to surround yourself with simps who gush themselves over every new copycat AI tool that doesn’t have product-market fit, but to find the right equilibrium of a tool stack that makes sense for you.

In the same way you’re probably already positioning yourself in your career, business, client-base, content, etc. you need to apply that same thinking to how you’re going to get the best of the best AI skills and information over time.?

I want to be where the market asymmetry is.

I'm pretty well positioned in this space because I'm constantly having conversations and projects involving AI. Years before I started this newsletter, I’ve worked with software companies shipping products with LLMs, ML, voice AI, semantic search, recommendation algorithms, all kinds of data science built in. Working on the marketing engines for these types of products forced me to learn like hell.

In these industries, you get natural feedback loops that shape how you think about AI. Reading newsletters or listening to podcasts is a good start. But it’s more hollow than actively being in the mix with companies.

• I interview people in the AI & Marketing space to learn about how they’re applying AI to their role, company, funnels, content, etc. for my Expert Q&A part of this newsletter
• I actively document how I use AI tools in my freelance business via the AI Copywriting Pro section of this very newsletter
• I actively work with clients in the enterprise SaaS, B2B & AI spaces writing copy for their campaigns and marketing assets

That’s 3 angles I’m always hitting AI from, and the learning is insane and that gives me all the fuel and ideas to create content about it. Writing it all down is the easy part.

It reminds me of how Silicon Valley people are always saying "move to San Francisco".?

I don't live in SF and don't particularly want to, but I get the point. Being in a tech hub naturally exposes you to more opportunities and keeps you on the cutting edge.

Cool thing is now you don't actually have to physically relocate. If you're working remotely but all your clients are in a certain online niche, you're still getting that immersive experience. You're still in the loop.?

I live in North Carolina but feel “close enough” to the action through clients, content, interviews, in-person conferences, and the modest-but-solid local tech scene here in Charlotte.

If you're a copywriter, marketer, entrepreneur, or freelancer looking to build your AI skillset, you gotta think strategically about the industries you're targeting. Look for spaces where AI is a core part of the business.

Ask yourself - am I surrounded by people who are excited about new tech? If not, maybe it's time to rethink your niche. Surrounding yourself with pessimists and helpful critical guys will limit you.

Be where the apple falls.

Personally, I prefer to be ahead of important internet developments, even when that means I’m in very non-obvious territory. AI isn’t for you right now if you need everything to have crystal clear market clarity and industry best practices and lots and lots of how to info out there you can follow.?

AI did not pop up outta nowhere. It's an iteration of the internet’s architecture. Every decade brings a new set of overlapping protocols, products and infrastructure. And typically the ones who benefit the most are the freelancers, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and marketers who heavily lean into these tools. They're the ones sitting under the tree when the apple falls, ready to crawl over and grab it.

Jensen Huang said this exact same thing about NVIDIA in an interview (highly recommend watching) and attributes a great deal of his company’s success to this mindset.?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6NfxiemvHg

And look how well they've done over the long haul. Isn't that the goal? To crush it in business and life over a long period, and ditch all the BS that comes with the traditional 9-5 grind?

And being early to an internet iteration is scary as hell. It's a ton of work to explore, experiment, and live on the bleeding edge of tech. If you don't inherently love this stuff, you're gonna have a rough time with AI until it matures and everyone's clear on the "best practices" (which, by then, won't really be "best" anymore because everyone and their dog will be doing them).

Everyone’s hell bent on AI tools tools tools tools.

And on some level I don’t blame them. But as we’ll see in an upcoming newsletter in a few weeks, investing in skills and mindset is more effective in the long run for growing businesses because the tools change but your mindset is flexible and can carry over no matter what happens with the startups, big tech, tools, etc.

And one last thing:

Of course this is all a very pro-tech perspective. The AI companies have a million lawsuits to settle, shareholders to appease, public perception to shape, copyright laws to adjust to, and an extreme number of hard, long-term challenges.?

And even with all of that activity to get lost in, the fact is that there will be (and already is) tremendous economic value brought about by these technologies.?

Copywriting and marketing is an economic activity, so I’m actively choosing to focus my energy on building up that skillstack and sharing what I learn.?

The last thing I’m saying is to have no ethics and only care about the commercial aspects of life. I’m saying use the tools thoughtfully, responsibly and self-govern and don’t ask for permission to get started.