Another Crazy Day in AI: Skills Become Worthless in AI Economy
- Wowza Team
- Jul 3
- 4 min read
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
We know you can almost smell the barbecue. But before you earn your freedom from the inbox…
An MIT economist just sketched a different kind of dystopia. He’s not worried AI will take jobs, but that it’ll flatten the value of expertise so much that no one gets paid what they used to.
Meanwhile, AI strategy isn’t just build vs. buy anymore. One expert lays out four smarter paths: build, buy, blend, or partner.
And billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban thinks the first trillionaire won’t be a company. It’ll be someone who figures out AI before the rest of us.
Go ahead, start the grill. But maybe keep one eye on what’s next.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
How AI could undercut wages
Four smarter ways to invest in AI
Mark Cuban says AI could create the first trillionaire
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: The Mad Max Future of Work
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
What if the future isn't about losing jobs to AI, but about losing the value of what we know how to do?
In a recent conversation on the Possible podcast with Reid Hoffman, MIT economist David Autor challenges one of the more familiar fears about AI. Instead of focusing on mass unemployment, Autor suggests something quieter and more difficult to detect: the declining value of skills that once defined entire careers. Thibault Spirlet reports on this in Business Insider, unpacking Autor’s concerns that automation may not erase jobs but could hollow out the middle class by making expertise easier to replicate and therefore, cheaper. He describes this potential outcome as a “Mad Max” scenario—not a dramatic collapse, but a slow erosion where people continue working, only now for less, competing over fewer opportunities, while power and profit accumulate in fewer hands.
Points worth reflecting on
Many jobs will still exist, but the specialized skills behind them may no longer command the same value
Roles like factory technicians, taxi drivers, and typists are cited as examples of how once-skilled work has become undervalued
AI may not replace entire jobs, but it can undercut wages by making certain types of expertise more common
Automation can either simplify human work or complement it, depending on how it's used
Autor points to healthcare and education as spaces where AI could help expand access, if guided well
He emphasizes the importance of designing technology that enhances human capability, rather than displacing it
The long-term risks include growing inequality and fewer opportunities for economic mobility
Autor doesn’t rely on hypotheticals. He draws on past economic disruptions—like the impact of global trade on manufacturing—to show how changes in the value of skills can reshape entire communities. What we’re facing today may follow a similar pattern, though less visible. When the core abilities people have spent years developing are suddenly no longer rare, the result isn't just a smaller paycheck. It’s a fundamental change in what that work is worth, both economically and socially.
This conversation is less about forecasting doom and more about making sense of where things stand. Autor doesn’t argue that technology will inevitably make things worse, but he does urge people to take these changes seriously. The question isn’t just whether AI will automate tasks—it’s what that means for how we define skilled work, how we train for the future, and how we ensure that the benefits of innovation don’t leave most people behind. These are decisions being shaped now, and they deserve more attention than they’re getting.
Read the full article here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
Four Smarter Ways to Invest in AI
/Deborah Perry Piscione, Author, on Harvard Business Review
As AI adoption accelerates, companies are moving beyond the simple “build or buy” question. Deborah Perry Piscione, a Silicon Valley strategist, outlines four strategic approaches—build, buy, blend, and partner—each with distinct advantages depending on competitive needs, internal capabilities, and long-term goals. Using real-world examples from JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce, Capital One, and Domino’s, she explains how to make smarter AI investments that balance innovation, efficiency, and impact. The message is clear: winning with AI isn’t about spending more, it’s about investing wisely.
Read more here.
Mark Cuban Says AI Could Create the First Trillionaire
/Ashton Jackson, Make It Success Reporter, on CNBC
Billionaire Mark Cuban believes the first trillionaire might not be a tech giant—but an individual who masters AI in a way we haven’t seen yet. On a recent podcast, Cuban shared his belief that we’re only in AI’s “preseason,” comparing its evolution to the early days of PCs and the internet. While AI poses risks like job displacement and environmental strain, he urges people to experiment with tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to better understand their potential. His advice? Don’t ignore it—start playing with AI today.
Read more here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
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