If you took English literature in high school or are a Sci-Fi fan, you might be familiar with Ray Bradbury’s short story, “There Will Come Soft Rains.” 

It was first published in 1950 during the mid-post-war nuclear war paranoia and depicted a smart house powered by AI going through its daily routine in the year 2026… 

The home wakes the family, cooks a perfect breakfast, cleans the tables and robotic vacuum cleaners even zoom around the floor. 

The only problem?

The humans are gone. 

And the house is just going through the motions… lost without them.

So while in 2023, AI is predicted to have an unprecedented impact on businesses and how they’re run (the first 5 predictions below attest to that)… there’s one critical element that remains from Bradbury’s iconic story… 

The need for humans.

And that should give us hope in these uncertain times! 

So don’t be fearful about what’s ahead because these expert predictions could hold the key to making your big move in 2023 and beyond.

Prediction #1: Augment Yourself With AI for a 10x Productivity Increase

According to Mike Koenigs, Founder of The Superpower Accelerator, Serial Entrepreneur, 13-Time #1 Bestselling Author, Speaker, Interactive Online Personality & Influencer

Two weeks ago, ChatGPT from OpenAI was released. It’s free to use.

Last week, my team and I created a new brand for a client in THREE HOURS… something that typically would have taken a team of myself and three team members 2-3 weeks to accomplish. It’s the ultimate Capability Amplifier — meaning we can use tools like ChatGPT to augment ourselves to be 3-100X more efficient and effective.

In minutes, I downloaded my client’s top three pieces of marketing content, copy and pasted that information into ChatGPT with several prompts and bullet points and gave it instructions to rewrite and improve that information. Minutes later, we had written two brochures and all of the copy for a website — requiring just minor edits. 

All original content in just minutes. 

I’ve been experimenting with AI for years and have tested dozens of AI-powered copywriting and marketing platforms. Most are steaming piles of time-wasting excrement. 

I started my career as a software and game developer. I’m an early investor in CapitaLogix, an AI-powered hedge fund that consistently produces over 20%. 

I’ve always believed in the potential of AI for marketing and business. However, it often requires a lot of effort to produce good results. That all changed a couple of weeks ago when ChatGPT was released.

My 20-year-old son Zak believes this technology will decimate opportunities and jobs and create an even more hyper-competitive world. My friend and Capability Amplifier podcast partner, Dan Sullivan (founder of Strategic Coach) says it will make stupid people even stupider.

For example, feed ChatGPT this command:

Write a sitcom script in the style of Jerry Seinfeld with three characters: Jerry Seinfeld, Elon Musk and Homer Simpson. Make the show’s premise a world where they’re discussing a new car powered by banana splits and beer and how it will affect the environment.

Here are the scripts it produced in about a minute. They’re not great. But with a few tweaks to the original command, it can create some decent idea-generators to get things rolling.

Last week I asked ChatGPT to write an email asking my friends and list to buy and review my new book, Your Next Act. It took just a minute to generate each of them. Writing a book review is a big ask, so I asked ChatGPT to write 20 sample book reviews to make things easy. Usually, that would take 3-4 hours. It took just one minute to write and 20 minutes to edit.

Here’s a link to see it yourself – feel free to model this for your books!

Full disclosure: today, I recorded my predictions into the real-time transcription service, Otter.ai, exported that transcript and uploaded it into ChatGPT with the following command:

convert the following transcript into a brief but concise email, titled “2023 Predictions by Mike Koenigs”. Write it for entrepreneurs. Correct spelling and grammatical errors.

Total time spent creating, editing and preparing this document: 20 minutes. 

Before ChatGPT, it would probably have taken me 3-4 hours.

Prediction #2: Who Needs Actual Skills When You’ve Got ChatGPT

According to Yifat Cohen, Engagement Maven & Growth Hacker

When anyone can use AI to sound legit, how do you stand out as the real thought leader that you are?

The world is buzzing with AI now. 

Stuck writing? There’s an AI for that.

Need a unique image? There’s an AI for that.

Want an app? A website? Code written? Video chopped and cut? There’s an AI for that.

So who needs to hire copywriters, designers and video editors when you have AI?

As 2023 is going to show us, AI can’t save the day.

Not yet anyway.

In fact, in a recent case study comparing ChatGPT vs. in-house ad copy for a lead gen campaign, the in-house ad copy outperformed the AI generated copy:

In-House CPL: $2.95/lead

ChatGPT CPL: $5.11/lead

The reason goes back to what makes us human: Stories.

AI works with what you give it, and sure… with enough examples, prompts and data… you may be able to train it to tell a pretty compelling story.

So I’ll ask again — When anyone can use AI to sound legit, how do you stand out as the real thought leader that you are?

2023 is going to be a bit messy as we learn to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s AI made-up.

It’s those who can maintain authenticity, truthfulness and transparency who will have the greatest chance of success, leveraging AI to help rather than reinvent themselves as something they’re not.

Prediction #3: Deep Fake Love Letters in a Dopamine.AI World

According to Joe Polish, Founder of Genius Network, one of the highest level groups in the world for entrepreneurs   

You’ve probably heard about the rise of ChatGPT, Midjourney and other accessible AI scripts. 

But here’s what NO ONE is talking about…

The very real danger that we’re going to rewrite and rewire DOPAMINE.

Because when you start “feeding the dopamine machine” so that people want everything instantaneously, patience will go out the window.

And we’re NOT built for this. We simply haven’t evolved quickly enough, and this complete overload of the nervous system will lead to an epidemic of people who are really disconnected. 

And this shift isn’t limited to interpersonal relationships. AI is going to completely reorient and reorganize the entire workforce. 

We now have computer programs that can do the creative work people once did. So, what other businesses are going to be decimated?

My friend Akira Chan sent me this profound audio message that will give you some serious food for thought…

“If you can tell an AI to write a brilliant love letter to a person you’re dating or write an essay for you, on top of using AI to make yourself look like a superhero and 10 years younger… that becomes an extreme addiction.”

Just think about that. AI writing the perfect love letter AND fashioning the ideal visual avatar for you… who can resist? 

But in a world where everything is fake, where will authenticity come from? What will people crave? 

Human connection. 

In 2023, being a real person will be more critical than ever before. And my book What’s in it for Them? speaks to this need for human connection (you’ll get my 9 genius networking principles to get what you want by helping others get what they want). 

2023 is going to be insane so get prepared right now.

Prediction #4: More And More People Will Begin to Think of AI as “Conscious” 

According to Eben Pagan, Founder at Go Meta Media, Investor & Author of Opportunity: How to Win in Business and Create a Life You Love

AI models are the fastest growing and most powerful “things” we have ever seen. 

2022 was the year that most people began to realize that “silicone-based intelligence” is going to change everything… and very soon.

But maybe more importantly, we’re going to begin thinking of AI as not only intelligent but also conscious.

The difference is NOT subtle. 

When you’re interacting with something that you don’t consider to be conscious, you hold it in a particular way. When you interact with something that you feel is conscious, it’s a different game.

Consider the difference between how you relate to a car and how you relate to a dog. There’s something fundamentally different, at a deep psychological level (maybe we should say at a spiritual level) between these two. Now think about the difference between how you relate to a dog and how you relate to the smartest person you’ve ever met.

“Yes,” you might say… “But AI isn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever met.”

Not yet. But in 5 years, it will be.

AI is waking up. Several experts in the field believe that AI is already at least “slightly conscious.”

It’s time to begin preparing for what Ray Kurzweil calls “The Age Of Spiritual Machines.”

I’ve had a startup in Generative AI for a few years now and I speak from experience when I say that this is something totally new.

Those who are learning to collaborate with AI will have a massive advantage and be able to create a lot of value in the near-term future. I recommend investing some time each day from now on learning to collaborate with the “spirits of technology” that are emerging!

Prediction #5: AI Will Completely Impact Business Organizational Structures and Outsourcing Trends

According to Zion Kim, Founder of 1MT.co and AtlasAssistants.com 

The most important question that people can start asking themselves is, how can AI completely disrupt my business?

From there, the next best question is, what parts of AI and technology can I leverage to better serve my business?

ChatGPT has completely collapsed timelines on what people thought was possible with AI, which will have other implications. We’ll see an accelerated adoption curve of all technologies for more companies being forced to optimize their bottom line.

Businesses will start to see how they can better leverage technology and automation to open up capacity in their business. For everything that can’t be automated, the rest will be outsourced.

This will result in a few trends:

1. We’ll start seeing much smaller teams and leaner organizations. This will result in the largest transition to overseas work we’ve seen in a decade.
2. For the companies that have already started outsourcing overseas, the #1 reason why they’ll lose talent is by forcing people back into the office. This will create an even bigger pool of specialized talent to hire from. 
3. North America will look to South America, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Asia. However, workers in those countries will have to shift their working hours to US hours.
4. Highly specialized talent will be hired for short-term, project-based work rather than long-term employees. 
5. This will also give rise to more fractionalized contractors vs. employees at all levels of seniority. 
6. Companies will be training up more and more of their workforce on a variety of existing AI tools so that 1 person can start to have the output of 10.

Like with the pandemic, we’ll see the economic shifts start creating radical shifts in how people work. Those holding onto the past will begin to get left behind.

Prediction #6: NFTs in 2023 and Into the Metaverse

According to Lee Richter, Award-Winning CEO, NFT Creator, Innovator Award Recipient 2022, Visionary and Thought Leader 

As a brand builder and marketing enthusiast, I consistently tune into trends and moonshots affecting industries and disrupting markets. What’s hot? What’s next?

To me, technology is a “Key to New Opportunities”… and one sector I see opportunities in is NFTs, my major focus since 2019.

One of the environments NFTs could help us with is regulation.

As you’re reading, AI is making the ground under the feet of world-class internet marketers and copywriters shake by introducing a new form of ease in their craft. In 2023, we’ll learn to incorporate AI into our workflow as the tool it is. But to do this, we also will discover the pitfalls of AI and of its users — there will be ones who’ll misuse it, so the term “Ethical Fading” comes to mind.

How many will avoid the moral implications of their decisions or settle for mediocre quality? 

My 2023 prediction is “This is the time for us, as Conscious Leaders, to set standards” in life and in business. 

As the metaverse continues to expand and technology advances, NFTs could potentially play a significant role in regulating and verifying standards within this virtual world. In 2023 and beyond, conscious leaders have the opportunity to set ethical standards for the online world through the use of NFTs. These non-fungible tokens can serve as authenticity guarantors and digital signatures, helping to ensure the safety of digital transactions and protect against misuse.

One example of this is the Soulbound non-fungible token (SBT), which offers a new level of personal ownership and control over digital assets. Through its non-transferable feature and trusted access point, the SBT can help to ensure the authenticity and quality of content, as well as revolutionize how companies offer and manage subscriptions and other recurring services.

As we continue to explore the possibilities of the metaverse, NFTs will be a key factor in ensuring the safety and engagement of online communities. By setting ethical standards and verifying authenticity through the use of NFTs, we can create a more trustworthy and secure virtual world for all! 

Prediction #7: The Rise of the “Corporate Shaman”

According to Yanik Silver, Creator of the Cosmic Journal, author of Evolved Enterprise and the founder of Maverick1000, a global collective of visionary entrepreneurs making a serious difference in the world, without taking themselves too seriously

Intention is your true north. 

Before any project, business, or truly anything, I set an intention. In fact, Oprah says her team is not allowed to start anything without first stating or writing their intention. She learned this from Gary Zukov, author of Seat of the Soul, who says,“You create your reality with your intentions.”

I previously believed goal setting was about specific numbers, dates, etc. Then I “upgraded” my thinking by allowing more possibilities by saying things like “or sooner” and “or better.” Now I’ve realized the real magic is the true intention. 

An interesting experiment of conscious meditation was conducted in 1993 that dropped violent crime by 23.3% over a three-week period. According to the full article on the experiment from the World Peace site, the police chief actually went on record to assert that the only event that would reduce crime that much in Washington during the summer months would be 20 inches of snow. The police were used to crime rising year on year and also rising during the summer months as the weather got hotter and the days longer.

I believe companies that start embedding intentions into the “making” and “doing” of their product or service will be big winners. 

I know a priestess who will pray over cannabis crops to bless the harvest with love and positive intention for greater yield and also better results for the customer. 

Imagine the possibilities: Food manufacturers, restaurants, supplement makers, water and beverage bottlers, etc., have dedicated individuals “pray” over their production to make sure everyone who consumes their product is healed of whatever ailment they have. 

Or what if consulting companies set mindful intentions together with their clients and imagined and “felt” into the perfect outcome before a brainstorming session? Or imagine, evolved healthcare providers meditating with their patients on optimal health before procedures or starting their treatment plans. 

Bold Prediction: A new title and category of something like a “Corporate Shaman” will emerge. Their role will be what a shaman did for their village; this elevated person will do the same for their organization or companies they serve. (Note: If anyone is especially inspired and wants to explore this — please reach out as I have a pretty extensive plan mapped out on this kind of project.) 

Nature to the Rescue…

These “Corporate Shamans” will be working with the energy and intention of an organization and some of them could also be working with natural medicines to help create breakthroughs for team members.

Entheogenic or psychedelic therapy is one of the most exciting revolutions happening that will have major ripples to help heal our society. Therapy and research with these different natural and chemical substances will be continuing to open up more and more. 

As we heal the person, then the community can heal, and our collective culture can heal as well.

Person > Community > Culture

In fact, there’s significant promise with MDMA and psilocybin therapy as research has been fast-tracked for the tremendous potential for dealing with PTSD, depression and addiction. The MAPS organization has been leading the charge here. 

The recent move to “Decriminalize Nature” will be on par with what we saw with the surge of legalization of marijuana. This initiative is led by the Decriminalize Nature organization and is helping communities decentralize and push reform. Nature includes all plants, cacti, fungi, etc., that have been used for centuries by indigenous cultures for healing, transformation and placing us in the right relation with our natural world.  

There’s a reason every ancient civilization has had their own way of connecting to the divine through ceremony and altered states of consciousness. And we’ll see a continued interest in these cultures and sacred ceremonies, helping all of humanity (including within company organizations) at this critical choice point when used with integration and intention. 

Prediction #8: Customers Will Seek Experiences ABOVE All Else (Even Above Your Price Point!)

According to Marisa Murgatroyd, Founder of Live Your Message (that’s this website!) and Creator of the Experience Product Masterclass

And now to my prediction for 2023!

A shift has been happening that the online business world has been slow to adopt.

It’s a shift that I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for years and something that completely transformed my business for the better… 

Experiences OVER information (I even wrote about it in my recent 2023 trends post). 

And in 2023, your customers will crave experience above all else (even above your price point!). So it’s time to make the shift to creating experiences tailored to your customers… experiences that get them to take action and transform their lives in a meaningful way. 

And the good news is that you’ll have help because technology will continue to evolve to meet this need. Previously, technology has been used to automate and streamline the customer experience and remove hassle before, during and after the sale. And while these will still play a role, in 2023 the name of the game will be Immersion and Interactivity.

And this can take many forms, such as virtual or augmented reality, interactive websites, apps or other technologies that allow customers to fully engage with a product or service in a way that feels highly personalized. 

In 2023 and well beyond, I believe that immersive customer experiences will become even more prevalent as customers demand this personalization, technology continues to advance and more companies seek ways to differentiate themselves by creating memorable (even transformational) customer experiences. 

Let’s look at what other industries are doing for some inspiration… 

In retail, we’re already seeing virtual dressing rooms from brands like Hugo Boss where you can try on clothes using avatars of yourself (whoa!). And Walmart is using augmented reality to show us how clothes will fit our bodies. 

And in the travel industry, Marriott has a virtual reality postcard program where you can explore different destinations around the world through VR headsets… so cool!

But you don’t need high-tech in order to create immersive and interactive experiences. 

Here at LYM, for our annual live virtual event — Live Your Message LIVE — we mail a physical box of goodies to our attendees to personalize their experience (including surprise gifts they open at specific times during the event) and build an interactive event dashboard where participants can collect points, earn prizes and send a reaction such as a heart, fire or laughing emoji that appears live on the screen behind me. 

Even something as simple as online quizzes or surveys can help you create a personalized customer experience… by offering specific products, services or resources based on individual needs. 

More and more brands are turning their websites into a kind of “choose your own adventure” experience where visitors can select the content that’s most aligned with who they are and where they are in their journey. 

This trend toward experiences is so strong that some brands, including Adobe and Adweek, have started appointing CXOs (Chief Experience Officers) to ensure that experiences are a vital part of their business growth strategy.

And I predict that online businesses that keep their heads in the sand and fail to focus on experiences will fall further and further behind. 

So think of ways to incorporate experiences in your core products, services, website and every touch point you have with your customers and visitors. 

Prediction #9: Fostering Flexibility and Belonging Will Create a Thriving Workplace Culture

According to Kristi Herold, Founder & CEO of JAM and best-selling author of It Pays to PLAY – How Play Improves Workplace Culture 

Like a 500-hour trained yogi, the workforce will demand the utmost flexibility in 2023. 

With technological advances, the “work from anywhere” age is here to stay, as the flexibility it offers is very appealing to employees. Organizations that want to retain great people will be amenable to providing this flexibility; however, with remote and hybrid work comes a reduced sense of belonging for employees. 

The last few years have seen the rise of company wellness programs, yet most lack focus on a critical component of human well-being: social connections. This year, to strengthen community in remote and hybrid environments and create a sense of belonging, expect to see an increase in efforts to foster social connections.

Optional offerings like company sports teams, musical bands and book clubs will provide a much-needed outlet for employees who are working remotely to meet weekly or monthly in person for fun social engagement. And we’ll see an increase in playful virtual events like escape rooms and game shows, enabling geographically diverse teams to connect for some laughs. All of these will help cultivate connection which will enhance the sense of belonging, improving retention and engagement. 

In short, hybrid workplaces will become more prevalent and companies who care deeply about their people and want to have a thriving workplace culture will provide flexibility for their employees while also creatively offering social opportunities in order to foster a sense of community and belonging.

It pays to play.

Prediction #10: More People Will Abandon The Comfort of a Traditional Career Path as They Bet On Themselves

According to Ryan Coisson, Founder of PerfectBiz.com and Creator of the PB Code Upgraded

In the classic Tolkien tale of the Lord of the Rings, comfort is abandoned for an adventure filled with twists, turns, fear and abounding dangers.

If you’ve read the books or seen the films, you’ll know that there were so many instances where turning back would’ve been the easiest of things to do.

 Yet they pressed forward, embracing the unknown adventures ahead.

 In 2023, we will all have the same adventure and opportunity.

 It’s simply a choice.

 In 2023, the online landscape will continue to expand as more and more people will step away from their “safe place” (i.e., a traditional career path) and bet on themselves. Yet while the winding path is full of adventure, it’s also bogged down with many dangers and pitfalls, especially in the creator economy.

 Whether that be new social media channels, the touting of revolutionary technologies or the never-ending pull for one’s attention in a million different directions.

 As existing or new online entrepreneurs and creators, remembering the fundamentals will become even more valuable in 2023.

 And capturing, earning and retaining the attention of one’s target audience will become more essential than ever for consistent and long-term success.  

 As Matthew Crawford stated, “Attention is a resource; a person has only so much of it.”

 Creators need to understand that clearer amounts of personalization will become easier and far more relevant to both our audience creation and monetization. There will be a tremendous opportunity to utilize evolving A.I. technology as inspiration and to brainstorm ideas for emails, ad copy, headlines and much more… so don’t let it pass you by! 

 I believe many online businesses and likely creators will ditch some of the core reliance on social media platforms due to the inherent risk of building your business on someone else’s land.

 And as an alternative, smart creators will block out the distraction of the new hot and shiny object and trade it for building their audience with the time-tested and proven method of email marketing. With a focus on a more consistent structure to their emails and a clear visual identity, email marketing will take a step forward. 

 This style of email marketing will make brands more recognizable, consumable, and relevant to their associated audiences.

 In addition, when done right, using email is the simplest and easiest way to capture attention and create trust at scale. For most creators and online businesses, it’s also the highest ROI channel available.

 In fact, according to a study by Litmus, email drives an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent… higher than any other channel.

 So take that first step out the door where the adventure awaits and focus on growing your audience and capturing and earning their attention and trust through email.

Prediction #11: Left Brainers Designed the Game (Information Internet Age), Right Brainers Will Win the Game

According to Linda Clemons, Global Speaker and Intuitive Expert in Sales and Nonverbal Communications, Author of Back In Touch 

The last four decades were dominated by the computer programmers who create the code, the lawyers who craft the contracts to protect the code and the accountants who calculate and crunch the numbers.

 It was a Left Brainers world.

 In the new day, new era and new environment, the Right Brainers will inhabit the land… flooding it with inventors, creatives, visionaries, empathizers and harmonizers. 

 Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, states the new takeover will begin with an approach he refers to as “High Concept and High Touch.” High Concept involves the capacity to detect patterns and opportunities to create something new, artistic and beautiful. While High Touch consists of the ability to emphasize and bring out the best in others, as well as releasing one’s own internal joy.

 The power of having that Emotional Connection with future customers and clients is invaluable in person and priceless online. It’s important to remember High Tech will not in this lifetime replace High Touch.

Prediction #12: Mental Health Will Expand by Definition and Revenue as Alternative Healing Becomes More Sought After

According to Kiné Corder, the CEO of Presidential Lifestyle National Certified Counselor specializing in Financial Therapy and CEO of Presidential Lifestyle 

With apps like BetterHelp and Talkspace popping up, therapy is going viral and global. 

Before the pandemic, I started an online, subscription based mental health practice that accepted clients from all over the world. This was frowned upon by my colleagues but just two years later, EVERYONE had to embrace online therapy.

So you can say I was well ahead of this trend! 

For many years, Baby Boomers and Gen-xers were taught to suck it up. But that approach never worked. 

And millennials, who were left to watch their parents struggle with mental health, knew that wasn’t the way to go and started the trend toward wellness.

But Gen-Zers have really been the ones who’ve run with the idea of mental wellness. 

That’s why in 2023, more people will embrace mental health as part of their everyday life… equaling tremendous opportunity for mental health professionals to sell more online courses. 

Professionals who want to stay ahead of this trend will be able to better serve one-to-many as well as one-on-one to keep up with unprecedented demand.  And the public will no longer be hampered by location or previous notions of what therapy is.

They’ll be able to find therapists who can offer the types of healing modality they need… even if they have to search out of state or even out of country to do so. 

And adding alternative healing modalities will not only increase access for the public but also the revenue of the mental wellness industry as a whole.  

And although the clinical mental health profession will lag behind, it will eventually catch up.

I believe Gen-zers will demand more mental health options and resources… seeing hypnotherapy, somatic therapy, spiritual psychology, reiki and even medically assisted psychedelics as viable options. And with alternatives becoming more sought after, licensed therapists will need to expand their practices to stay relevant. 

There is one last thing that I’d like to mention. This generation is willing to admit that money is the cause of stress — which in turn causes so many major illnesses — so the demand for financial therapy will also rise.  

And as everyone begins to have mental clarity and a sense of purpose — the world will become a more peaceful place. 

What’s Your Prediction? 

There you have it — the TOP 12 predictions from the best in the online business world.

Now the question is, “What will you do with them?”

Because as Ray Bradbury said, “You can’t ‘try’ to do things. You simply ‘must’ do things.”

What are your predictions for online business in the new year? Let me know in the comments!

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