AI waits for no one (and what to do about it)

Hey there!

I've been sitting with some mixed thoughts this week that I felt compelled to share with you.

The pace of AI advancement that we saw last week has me genuinely speechless. OpenAI's new image generation capabilities are frankly mind-blowing—creating editorial-quality visuals, social media content, mockups for digital products, and brand assets that rival professional work. ChatGPT-4.5 just passed the Turing test, meaning it's becoming indistinguishable from human intelligence in certain contexts. Google, DeepSeek, Ideogram and others released major advancements in their models last week that rippled through the tech scene.

Even as someone deep in this space—someone who's genuinely AI-positive and excited about the opportunities—I found myself having to pause and just take it all in. The velocity is staggering.

I'm trying to be present and truly understand what these developments mean for us, but I have to admit: I don't think any of us can fully grasp where this is heading. What I do know with absolute certainty is that the opportunities are unprecedented—but so are the disruptions.

The Ghibli-fication phenomena

I tested the Ghibli-style trend that exploded last week (apparently over 100 million images have been generated since it went viral). And I'm genuinely conflicted about it.

On one hand, the technology is incredible—creating these deeply stylized images that capture something special about us. On the other hand, I'm acutely aware of what this means for illustrators and artists who spent decades mastering their craft.

This contradiction perfectly captures where many of us find ourselves: simultaneously amazed by these tools and concerned about their implications.

We don't have the luxury of opting out anymore

Last week, I was part of a group conversation where people from creative professions dismissed AI tools as "boring" and irrelevant to their profession. I was floored.

This illusion that we still have a choice to opt out is incredibly dangerous. We don't. Whether we like it or not, we need to understand these tools and what they mean for our futures. The choices we make need to be conscious ones—knowing exactly what we're walking away from and what that means long-term.

As someone creating tutorials and sharing my journey with AI and building online income streams, I feel like there's not enough time in a day to cover even 1% of what's happening right now. It's exciting, but it also raises profound questions about our value and roles.

The mindset shift we need to make

I've been reflecting deeply on what mindset shifts this requires. As humans, we're accustomed to performing tasks and deriving meaning from that work. But when AI can do most of these tasks—and we're already seeing this happen—what does that mean for us?

Perhaps our value shifts toward becoming curators, orchestrators, and managers of AI systems rather than task performers. Maybe we become the creative directors while AI handles execution.

This raises far more questions than answers, but I believe the immediate response for all of us should be the same: prioritize learning and understanding what's happening. See firsthand what these tools can do, then make informed decisions about how to integrate them into your life and work.

Building something that's future-proof (and truly yours)

I don't have all the answers, but what I know for sure is this: building an online business, creating a portfolio of digital income streams based on your skills, passions and interests —is the only viable path forward that I can see for myself.

Learning the skills to create services, content, products and tools that bring value to people—these are non-negotiable now. But equally important is tapping into what you genuinely love doing—your authentic interests, passions, and unique skills and finding ways to monetize it.

Building your world around those elements and creating community alongside it isn't just a nice approach—I honestly believe it's the only sustainable way forward in this rapidly changing landscape.

What are your thoughts on all this? How are you feeling about the pace of change? Hit reply—I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Until next week,

Your AI Solopreneur Bestie,

Elena