I know how some of this is going to sound. But if you look at my track record, I think you'll find that I tend to be relatively on the money when it comes to predicting what the future will look like.
In February, I wrote that "there's a good chance AI will have better ideas than us within a few years." In July, AI disproved a long-standing math conjecture. This week, OpenAI said its AI showed that another one, the Exponential Time Hypothesis, is false.
The same month, I wrote that "agents are turning into teams. Teams need Slack... In 12 months, this will feel obvious." Eight months later, it is obvious. I run a team of AI agents that work in Slack: they take tasks, report back and hand work to each other, just like coworkers. You don't need to build your own, either: Viktor, today's sponsor, is an AI coworker that already works in Slack.
So here are eleven more.
1. AI will become the biggest political issue of all. Bigger than the economy, bigger than immigration, bigger than healthcare, bigger than climate. Bigger than all of it.
2. We're going to see bioengineered viruses that are extremely dangerous. The same AI that helps cure diseases can help someone make one.
3. The best AI models won't be available to the public. The labs will keep them in-house to do work nobody else can do, like developing drugs.
4. AI will make many medical breakthroughs that reach patients. It will feel like progress in healthcare is suddenly speeding up.
5. Within a year, we'll have AI that almost everyone agrees is better than humans at almost everything.
6. A company run by one person will be worth $1 billion. One person and a team of AI agents.
7. Scams using a cloned voice or face of someone you love will be the most common kind of fraud. Having a code word with your family will be as normal as locking your door. Set one up this weekend.
8. More jobs will go, and starting a small business will become the main way people earn money. When AI can do the work, the person who owns the AI doing it makes the money.
9. Money will matter more than ever, and it will compound. You'll be able to hire AI agents on the spot, and the more you can spend, the more they can do and the harder the problems they can take on.
10. AI as good as today's will be essentially free. The very best models will stay expensive for a while. But the cost of today's level will drop more than 10x a year.
11. Robots that do housework will be common in homes.
Which one sounds the craziest to you? Hit reply and tell me. We'll see who's right in a year.
— Matt
P.S. See #9, hiring AI agents on the spot? You can already do it. Viktor, today's sponsor, joins your Slack and gets to work.
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