We’re closing in on the end of 2024 and the AI grift is in full swing. Anyone with a few followers, or a few million, has gradually pivoted into talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) as if they are seasoned experts.
But let’s be honest, most of them haven’t a bloody clue what they’re talking about. At best, they are speculating.
Randomly, a song lyric crossed my mind today: “Everybody Dance Now.” I’ve no idea why. That was from about 35 years ago, and it got me thinking. The 2024 version would be “Everybody Pivot Now” because, in their droves, so many have switched to being AI experts in unison.
And most of them aren’t. I know I already said that but it’s worth repeating.
The YouTube Grifter’s Playbook
You’ve got two camps.
The first lot tear into the doomers (many of whom do have genuine expertise to back up what they fear), trying to convince everyone they know exactly how AI works and saying the doomers are talking bollocks.
The second lot are on the doom and gloom bandwagon themselves, acting as if they, and only they, understand what’s coming.
But here’s the thing:
unless you’re actually on the team building these AI systems, you’re purely speculating.
And fair enough, some creators genuinely studied this stuff before jumping in. They did the work. But they’re drowned out by the noise. The grifters are louder, more prolific, and frankly, better at the game.
Sound Like You Know, Cash In
Speculating on YouTube pays. And for many it pays well.
That’s what it’s all about. Sound like you know what you’re talking about, rack up the watch time, land the sponsor deals. Job done.
We’ve seen this before, haven’t we?
- Crypto.
- NFTs.
- Web3.
- The Metaverse.
Every new tech wave brings the same circus. The same faces pivot, rebrand, and suddenly they’re authorities on whatever’s trending (and paying). They milk it until the next thing comes along, then pivot again.
The pattern is painfully predictable isn’t it?
Get in early, talk with absolute certainty about things nobody fully understands yet, build an audience on hype, then quietly move on when the bubble deflates or the topic gets boring.
Will 2025 Be Any Better?
Bloody hell, I hope 2025 will be different.
But that’s wishful thinking.
There’s too much money in being confidently wrong on the internet.
The algorithm rewards certainty over accuracy, and volume over value.
The real experts, the ones actually building and researching AI, are usually too busy to make daily YouTube videos. They’re publishing papers, running experiments, dealing with the actual complexity of the work. Meanwhile, the grifters are churning out content, three videos a day, each one more certain than the last.
And the viewers lap it up. Can’t entirely blame them. When everyone’s shouting, it’s hard to figure out who actually knows their stuff.
The grifters have better thumbnails, catchier titles, and they tell you exactly what you want to hear, whether that’s utopia or apocalypse.
So here we are. The Great AI Pivot of 2024. Everyone’s an expert. Nobody knows anything. And the watch time keeps rolling in.
FAQs – ‘cos I know you skimmed…
Why are so many YouTubers suddenly talking about AI?
Because AI content generates massive watch time and sponsorship deals. Most creators pivot to whatever topic is trending, regardless of their actual expertise. It’s the same pattern we saw with crypto, NFTs, and Web3.
Are all AI content creators just grifters?
No, some creators genuinely studied AI before creating content about it. The problem is the grifters are louder and more prolific, drowning out the legitimate voices. The algorithm rewards certainty and volume over accuracy.
How can you tell if someone actually knows about AI?
Real experts usually cite research, admit uncertainty, and avoid absolute predictions. They’re often too busy actually working in the field to produce daily content. If someone’s churning out three videos a day with complete certainty about AI’s future, be sceptical.
Will the AI content bubble burst like crypto and NFTs did?
Probably. Every tech wave follows the same pattern: early hype, grifter influx, peak saturation, then quiet deflation as creators pivot to the next trending topic. The difference is AI has more staying power than NFTs, but the content circus around it will likely move on.
Why do people believe these self-proclaimed AI experts?
Because they’re convincing and everywhere. They have better production values, catchier thumbnails, and they tell viewers exactly what they want to hear – either utopia or doom. Real expertise is nuanced and uncertain, which doesn’t make for viral content.
About this blog post: I know this isn’t a polished blog post and it’s not meant to be. This is one of many fleshed-out versions of notes I’ve scribbled down over several decades. Thoughts about life, the world, the internet, mental health, and whatever else was rattling around my head at the time. Some of them go back more than 40 years, to when I ditched the typewriter and moved to a PC in the mid-80s. Rough in places, occasionally uncomfortable, and very much real. That’s the point.