AI, deepfakes, and social media strategy for entrepreneurs

Executive overview

Video proof has been the bedrock of trust for a century — deepfakes will shatter it within three to four years. Blockchain-based provenance is the most credible counter-move available today.

Meanwhile, social media has quietly become the most cost-effective offensive tool in business, and AI has eliminated every excuse for not knowing how to use it.

You won't be put out of business by AI — you'll be put out of business by someone who uses AI better than you.

Deepfakes and the coming trust collapse

• Within 36–48 months, no video on the internet will be believable by default
• Most people have already consumed AI-generated humans without realising it
• A significant cultural event — a fake statement by a politician, for example — will accelerate the reckoning
• Video has served as judge and jury for 100 years; that foundation is crumbling
• Blockchain (decentralised, unowned ledger) is the best existing counter-move — mint your content to prove provenance
• The precedent: electricity and the atomic bomb were both feared, then normalised; humans invent the counter-move

Platform strategy for B2B and small business

• LinkedIn is the standout B2B platform — more attention than content, comparable to Facebook in 2015
• Post organically first; only amplify with paid spend once a post proves organic traction
• The AI era eliminates excuses — use ChatGPT to learn any platform tactic instantly
• All social media tools (editing, background removal, AI generation) will default into the platforms for free — don't invest in third-party tools
• Schedule nothing: "day trade attention" — post in real time based on what's happening now
• For a $5M business spending 8–9% on marketing, build a team of four to seven: a shooter/editor, a department lead, a community manager, and an ideas/strategy person

AI influencers and the creative opportunity

• AI influencers will displace human influencers the same way human influencers displaced celebrities
• Anyone can now create a fictional character — with consistent personality, backstory, and visual identity — and own the IP
• This is a major opening for creative people who never wanted to be on camera
• WWE built a billion-dollar IP business out of human characters; the same model is now open to anyone with AI tools
• Some in this room could earn $500K/year in brand deals from a character they created and never appeared in

Interest media has replaced social media

• Algorithms no longer surface content from people you follow — they surface content matching your current interests
• A first-time poster with 19 followers can outperform a veteran with millions on any given day
• You can reset your algorithm in 12 minutes: search terms you care about, like four to five posts, close the app — it recalibrates by the next day
• The algorithm doesn't change you; it exposes who you already are
• Free reach at scale is historically unprecedented — no ad buy, no gatekeeper, no cost

LLMs, AI tools, and the commoditisation risk

• Test AI tools against topics you know deeply — that's the only honest benchmark
• LLMs will commoditise: the same dynamic as big data — early advantage eroded as everyone catches up
• Brand and reputation will be the durable moat, not the technology
• Average coding skills are being commoditised; electricians and skilled tradespeople face a massive demand surge from AI infrastructure build-out
• AI startups face rapid replication risk — a strong app can be copied quickly with co-pilot tools

Accountability and the entrepreneurial mindset

• Entrepreneurship is mostly losing, with occasional wins — adapt or exit
• Crying about AI disrupting your industry is inconsistent with believing in merit and capitalism
• Over-coddling adult children (financial support past 22) quietly destroys their self-esteem — they smile and take the money while feeling like failures
• Blame is a rut; accountability is the mechanism of change
• Generational warfare (Boomers vs. Gen Z) is the newest manufactured division — ignore it
• A shift away from materialism is underway; service, community, and basic human decency are gaining cultural value again