|
Reader, We fear what we do not know. And for those of us with OCD (the uncertainty disease), the fear is more like terror 🙂 No one knows the future… but here’s my attempt at simply explaining a few of the potential paths we take from here based on the “AI camp” you’re in. Knowledge = power, and those who understand the paths from here (and are willing to change) will have a much higher chance of thriving in this new “scary” AI world. Again, I’m a bogan (look it up) from a sugar-cane farm in rural Australia. I’m not special, and am simply a human trying to make sense of this world. Do your own research. This is simply my (possibly poor) attempt at understanding the path(s) ahead for AI so I can be ready for it. There are other camps like those who believe infrastructure will be a bigger constraint, or some who believe we have just months before we get to all-knowing AI but I personally believe these to be edge cases. Camp 1: No new breakthroughs are needed, we just need to scale what we’re currently doing to build AI. Why they believe they’re right: Surprising capabilities have come out of simply doing more of what currently is being done to build AI. If these people are right, things will only accelerate (assuming no computing, safety, or energy constraints). The biggest accelerations will come from AI re-designing itself and how it gets build to be built faster. Basically AI “self-improvement” on it’s own. This camp thinks we humans really aren’t THAT special and the brain is really just pattern recognition anyway. Who’s in this camp? The AI capitalists, like OpenAI, Anthropic, etc. Timeline: The general intelligence AI is <5 years away. Meaning AI will beat humans at almost everything very soon. How to know if camp 1 is winning: AI will have huge jumps in what it can do without any new breakthroughs in how we’re going about building it. Camp 2: A breakthrough is needed before we get to an AI that surpasses our intelligence AI has no real understanding of cause/effect, it simply makes a guess based on patterns. If these people are right, we’ll hit a ceiling with AI capabilities soon. More breakthroughs are needed. We won’t get to AGI (human-level intelligence in most domains) Is thinking just advanced prediction? OR Is it still missing some other “human” element. Who’s in this camp? Academic types, neuroscience researchers. Timeline: General intelligence is still 10-25 years away and will need new ways of being built to get there, not just scaling what’s currently being done. How to know if camp 2 is winning: Progress begins to slow and mistakes remain commonplace in AI responses. Which camp is winning? Progress is faster than skeptics expected, but not as magical as optimists claim. The only certainties: Momentum is REAL How I’m personally dealing with this new scary world:
All this is to say we’re about to figure out what it really means to be human. Oh wait! This is supposed to be a book marketing newsletter… 3 Secrets Target professionals who can recommend your book to their clients or patients. Focus on gatekeepers like doctors, therapists, teachers (or your industry equivalents) who influence many people These professionals can create cascading recommendations. One doctor recommending it to patients and other doctors creates exponential reach. Offer books at print cost to remove price barriers and set specific goals like getting 100 professionals out there recommending your book 2. If you’re going to take the Instagram influencer route Target micro-influencers with 10,000-30,000 followers rather than pursuing expensive partnerships with major accounts Multiple hosts emphasize that micro-influencers with smaller but highly engaged audiences are more effective than those with millions of followers. Their followers trust them more, they’re more accessible and affordable, and they often drive better results than expensive partnerships. One author spent $50,000 on Instagram influencers with minimal returns, while another with 250,000 followers only sold 20-30 traceable books. 3. Quick podcast pitching hack Get blurbs from previous guests of your target shows to strengthen pitches If targeting a specific show, get editorial reviews or blurbs from their past guests. Including these in your pitch shows the host that trusted previous guests vouch for you, significantly increasing booking likelihood. 2 Links
1 Quote “The future belongs to those who can spread ideas.”
Alex P.S. Know someone who needs help marketing their book? We offer a $500 referral bonus 🙂 |