Paige Finn DohertyFounding Partner, Behind Genius · Founding Partner at Behind Genius Ventures

AI: making the rich get richer and the poor get poorer

9 Feb 2024 · 1 min

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In this monologue, the speaker recounts a stark conversation with a multimillionaire friend who warned that AI‑savvy employees can replace many who lack AI skills. The speaker, feeling challenged, plans to lay off half of their staff within three months, citing the accelerating pace of work enabled by AI tools like ChatGPT. The narrative juxtaposes the speaker’s modest life—eating microwave meals in a college‑town apartment—with the friend’s opulent lifestyle on a yacht in Dubai, illustrating how AI adoption may widen economic inequality. The speaker questions which side listeners will choose as AI reshapes productivity timelines, turning five‑year projects into six‑month endeavors.

Chapters

I'm not worried about AI. You should be. I was taken aback. Coming from someone I really looked up to, a direct challenge like that was a hit to my ego. He knew this too. It was his way of lighting a fire under me. Pain is the best motivator, I suppose. One employee who is hyper-proficient at AI can replace 10 who don't use it. I'm planning on laying off half my staff within the next 3 months. This will only make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Which side will you be on? When I had this conversation with a multimillionaire friend, ChatGPT had just gone viral, quickly followed by a host of other AI tools. Of course, he was right. His knack for spotting trends early is reflected by the many zeros showing on his bank balance. A year later, I'm still eating microwave food in my dumpster of a college town apartment. He was on a yacht in Dubai last week. Can't confirm it is as fun as the Instagram pics, but I do think I've spotted a trend. The world is moving fast, and what used to be done in 5 years can now be done in 6 months.