APAI - Applied AI S1 Issue 3
We are going to Doha, Qatar!
“We are going to DOHA!” - this is what I texted my friend in Toronto. I got invited to present NeuralDreams and the AI platform offering at the WebSummit in Feb 26-29 in Doha, Qatar.
This is quite exciting, because it’s far enough to prepare for it, and close enough that it feels very tangible and “actionable”.
Table of Contents
Weekly Lessons - AI is introducing a new way to accelerate the small bets portfolios.
ND News - Presenting your startup to the world. How to take that big step.
Weekly Lessons
Lesson 4 - AI is not coming for your job
AI is not coming for your job, however, some small startup using AI is coming for your job. Beat them at their own game and, in 2024, get your small biz idea off the ground.
Don’t get me wrong - yes, there will be plenty of large companies laying off people due to various automations, etc. However, I believe the majority of job losses or shift that will happen in the next little while is the incredible acceleration in getting ideas off the ground for small startups.
Take the content creation industry. This is an industry that has grown significantly in past 10-15 years, however, due to the explosion of AI, it is clear the industry is going through a seismic shift. Looking back to 2023, from all the clients I have talked to, the significant number of companies involved in social media and content creation was stunning.
The number one request has been to help automate processes, raise the bar on quality, help them bridge the gap from content ideas to captive eyeballs. Two patterns had come up from this:
Large and very large companies in the content creation, curation and distribution space are diving into this and are going all in. The size of the companies I have found myself in discussions with in 2023 surprised me. They are all introducing AI.
The human overhead in content curation is huge. The Nr 1 item requested was lowering human effort/cost.
You’d read Nr 2 and think I am contradicting myself - but no. I am not. Because these companies are talking to professionals like me because they don’t know how to do it themselves. So, they come to product and service companies like NeuralDreams and ask what can we offer. And the reality is, we can offer a lot.
So, I’d say, for anybody who is in the line of fire - your skillset is still needed, but it’s shifting. So, in 2024, get your skillset updated, learn how to use the new AI tools, and your capitalist overlords will for sure be more than happy to employ you. But don’t be complacent. There’s for sure some tech-bro startup lying through their teeth and telling your boss that their AI service can do your job.
AI is not magic and ultimately it’s just a tool that still needs to be deployed properly by humans, for humans. In 2024, take the AI bull by the horns, learn how you can use Ai in your daily jobs/for your company.
Want to know how to apply AI for your business? Want to know how to get started outside of ChatGPT? How to integrate Ai in your day-to-day workflow?
ND News - Going to Doha, Qatar to present NeuralDreams to the world.
20 years ago, I think I’d have been sick to my stomach with anxiety just thinking about taking my tech startup to a world stage, present my idea and basically say “Buy my stuff”. However, since this is not my first rodeo, have proper MRR, paying customers, a sales funnel - I am approaching it in a methodical, logical way.
2023 was hard for sure, but I expected that consistent hard work to yield results. And it did. But 2024 is time to shine a bright spotlight on NeuralDreams, get friendly with social media and learn how to use social media to the business’ advantage. *This* is my marketing budget: the time and effort it takes to write this newsletter, the discussions with clients, friends, strangers on the internet.
I know from following other Startup founders that there’s no “silver bullet” presentation or conference. There’s no Hollywood “the one presentation at conference XYZ that makes you millions”. So I am ready for Doha to hopefully be a solid milestone and stepping stone for our platform.
My target - if we can acquire new customers so that by end of March we double our current MRR, that is a fantastic target to aim for.
This is basically the secret: How do you present your big idea to the world? You think about life “after” your presentation. I plan for where it’d love to be in 3 months. It so happens that in 2 months I gotta go to Doha and present my business. This way, every month there’s a certain target to attain, and even such a big event such as presenting your startup to the world becomes a little less intimidating as it becomes a link in the chain of events that leads to success.
See you in 2024.