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Cuban: AI Could Create Historic Wealth for Individuals

Billionaire entrepreneur and investor Mark Cuban believes the next wave of wealth creation will come not from Wall Street or Silicon Valley giants—but potentially from a lone individual who masters artificial intelligence.

On a recent episode of the High Performance podcast, Cuban said that AI is the most powerful wealth-building tool of our era, capable of producing the world’s first trillionaire. “Not only do I think it’ll create a trillionaire,” said Cuban, “but it could be just one dude in the basement. That’s how crazy it could be.”

Cuban, 66, compared the current phase of AI to the early days of personal computing and the internet—technologies initially dismissed, then adopted en masse. “Remember when people didn’t think they needed a computer, or thought the internet was a fad? That’s where we are with AI now,” he said.

AI’s Present Capabilities Are Just the Beginning

Today, people are using AI in relatively modest ways: automating schedules, generating summaries, offering emotional support, and answering questions. But businesses are already reporting tangible results. For example, Chipotle’s CEO Scott Boatwright recently said AI tools helped the company cut hiring time by 75%.

According to Cuban, this is just the “preseason” of AI’s real impact. As the tools become more accessible and powerful, he expects a wave of new innovation. “We’ll find something equivalent to smartphones for AI,” he predicted. “And five years later, we’ll all wonder how we lived without it.”

But There Are Risks: Job Loss, Energy Demand, and Misinformation

While Cuban remains optimistic, he acknowledges the growing list of AI-related challenges:

• Job Displacement: Companies like Shopify and Fiverr are urging employees to upskill in AI. Duolingo has begun phasing out contractors for AI-driven alternatives.
• Cybercrime & Misinformation: AI tools have been exploited to launch scams, manipulate public opinion, and even create fake content.
• Environmental Costs: Training large models like OpenAI’s GPT-3 consumes massive resources. Researchers estimate it requires 1,287 megawatt hours—enough to power 120 U.S. homes for a year—just to train a single model.

These concerns highlight the dual-edged nature of AI’s rapid evolution.

Cuban’s Advice: Start Learning AI Now

Despite the risks, Cuban believes sitting on the sidelines is the bigger mistake. “Download Gemini from Google. Download ChatGPT. Just ask your questions about anything,” he advised. “But don’t assume the answers are always right.”

He emphasized that AI is not sentient or truly intelligent—it’s simply a pattern-recognizing tool that processes vast information quickly. “You have to realize that it’s not actually thinking. But it can find information and package it in a way that people can understand,” he said.

He encouraged users to challenge and question AI responses, which not only improves the interaction but can also help reduce bias and errors in the model over time.

Final Thoughts: The Next Gold Rush?

Cuban’s comments align with a broader consensus that AI is the defining technology of this era—and whoever figures out how to wield it effectively may not just change their life, but reshape global wealth itself.

Whether it's a startup founder, a garage tinkerer, or someone leveraging AI in an unexpected way, the first trillionaire might not emerge from legacy industries—but from those bold enough to explore the frontiers of artificial intelligence.