I’ve been following the AI revolution since 2022.
Now, more than 3 years into it, let me share 3 predictions on what’s next in this AI economy and how you can prepare.
Prediction 1: AI will not replace all human labor any time soon
As AI is getting smarter and more autonomous, many people are predicting the extinction of knowledge workers.
Who needs writers, designers, accountants, lawyers, coders, if AI can do it?
Who needs cleaners, painters, assembly workers, if AI-powered robots can do it?
That’s the first thought that most people have. But if you think more deeply and actually start putting AI to work, you realize that we as human beings are not only about outcomes.
Sure, we want our accountants to do our taxes and our painters to paint our houses, but there’s more to it.
The truth is that we’re dealing with HUGE labor shortages in most places of the world. The large cities are not that bad when it comes to finding workers.
We’re dealing with ENORMOUS labor shortages in smaller cities and more rural areas.
I live in the north of The Netherlands, in Leeuwarden. There has been a general doctor shortage for almost a decade now. Any person who moves to our town doesn’t have proper access to health care.
Having a GP is one of the most important things in life. You need to know there’s a doctor you can visit in a day or two if you’re sick.
Well, that’s no longer true for many places across the world. Will an AI robot doctor come to the rescue? I don’t doubt it. But we’re years away from that happening.
Just think about the number of robots they have to build to just HELP current professionals in any field to get up to demand.
Think of all the physical labor in the world. Factory workers. People in construction.
They have to build robots 24/7 for years to make one for everyone.
And then there’s the digital work that AI replaces. Well, that’s all true. You don’t need to call a lawyer to get legal advice anymore. You also don’t need to call an accountant for advice on paying less taxes.
BUT, here’s the thing: we still need to have accountancy and law firms because they are an essential part of modern life. The government wants an accountancy firm in between you and them because it’s an additional step that lowers fraud and errors.
I’m registered as a B.V. in The Netherlands, which is the same as an LLC in the US. I could technically do all my taxes myself and submit it to the taxman.
But I prep everything and send it to my accountant at a reputable accountancy firm because I know they have a direct relationship with the taxman. If I ever run into issues, the firm will handle everything. So it’s a matter of peace of mind.
AI will replace a lot of work. But we as humans will always stay involved because we want peace of mind.
Why would readers still follow me for my takes and insights? Because I serve as a filter and I write my own stuff.
My readers trust that I’ve done the thinking and doing. So they can trust what I have to say. I don’t see that type of relationship disappearing anytime soon.
One of my friends who was very early with adopting AI in his business (he does sales training at tech firms) laid off some people in 2024 and is now hiring new people again. He scaled down his team too much. No matter how great AI is, we still need humans because we’re a society built by humans.
Prediction 2: AI will improve work-life balance and mental health
So if AI is not going to replace all workers, what will it do? I think it will make life a lot easier.
We’re already on that trajectory. If I think about the number of times I’m using ChatGPT throughout the day for non-work-related things, I can’t believe it’s real.
The other day I exported the entire medical history of my mom from the past 5 years into ChatGPT and asked it to analyze all the results. It was a combination of bloodwork, MRIs, CTs, ECGs, and other medical findings.
A doctor suspected that she had some kind of rare condition, but ChatGPT argued that, based on her medical record, the odds of that condition were very low. The problem with health care is that once one doctor suspects you have a condition, all the other specialists you visit say, “Aaah, it’s the other condition you have. So I can’t help you.”
“But it’s not confirmed.”
Most don’t care.
You have to be careful about your medical record and what it says. And now, another specialist is starting to find out that ChatGPT was right. The suspected condition is not fully ruled out yet, but it’s quite close. Just a few more examinations and we should have a clearer picture of what’s going on.
Now don’t get me started on how I’m using AI in my work as an author and teacher. I’m basically using ChatGPT with everything except writing my articles and emails.
I love it.
AI has brought back the joy of writing again. Any type of work I don’t like doing, I look for ways AI can do it (like designing slides for online courses).
All in all, AI helps with mental health and work-life balance. The fact that ChatGPT didn’t agree with the doctor and explained clearly that the condition isn’t likely gave my mom more peace of mind. Otherwise, there was a lot of reason for worry.
For me, AI has completely changed my work. I’m more excited about doing work and get to enjoy every aspect now.
Prediction 3: AI will boost the economy for years to come
The AI infrastructure we need to expand its capabilities and access globally is just getting started.
You can look at the current stage of the AI revolution as the infrastructure phase.
We’re just now seeing faster chips, better local models, more apps, better voice interfaces, and so forth. It’s like the early internet days. Everyone’s still figuring it out.
And here’s something most AI users aren’t thinking about: We need a massive amount of real-world infrastructure to support this shift.
I’m talking data centers. Fiber networks. Cooling systems. Energy grids. Warehouses filled with GPUs that suck down more power than entire neighborhoods. This is already happening across the globe, where AI demand is starting to strain local energy supplies. Utility companies are scrambling to expand capacity. Nuclear energy is back in the conversation.
This isn’t just software scaling. It’s physical too.
AI needs a lot of power. And that means more investment in energy. Data centers are going to pop up in places you’ve never heard of (for example, large pieces of land in Spain have been bought by US firms for data centers).
Entire new economies are just starting out. The chain of events that AI has started goes DEEP.
And let’s not forget the chip supply chain. We need fabs. We need rare materials. We need smarter cooling tech. AI’s growth isn’t just a digital story—it’s an industrial one.
All of that means trillions in capital investment.
Governments, investors, and the major corporations of the world are moving fast to grab early control. Sure, winners take most. But there are also a lot of indirect winners of this revolution.
This interconnectedness of the supply chain is going to drive growth for YEARS.
Just think about the internet revolution. It was invented in 1969 with ARPANET, but it wasn’t until around 2010 that it was fully integrated into daily life worldwide.
Even then, it was still at the beginning of the true internet revolution: smartphones, cloud computing, and social platforms were just starting to become more commonplace.
The point is that these things take A LOT of time.
And AI is still in the early days. So we have a long way to go, which is probably the most exciting thing about AI.
Overall, the economy is poised to experience significant growth.
I’m excited. VERY excited.
