However, in practice, 95% of all generative AI pilots are flopping, and it’s left a gaping opportunity for Gen X and baby boomer bosses to be taught how to actually implement the technology the right way. That’s where Gen Z can come in, according to Mark Cuban.
“Learn all you can about AI, but learn more on how to implement them in companies,” the billionaire told TBPN last week, while adding that leaders don’t actually understand how to implement all of these new tools yet.
“Learn to customize a model, walk into a company, show the benefits. That is every single job that’s going to be available for kids coming out of school.”
The 67-year-old emphasized that Gen Zers in their senior year of college—or high school even—should be spending any “excess time” they have learning the difference between AI-powered video generators, such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo, and how to customize AI models. He stressed that they should be able to walk into any small business and immediately spot how AI could help.
“There are millions of companies that have one, five, 10, 50, 100, 500 people that aren’t going to have AI budgets, that aren’t going to have AI experts. This is where kids get hired,” Cuban said.
Fortune reached out to Cuban for comment.
Embrace AI—or get left behind
The former Shark Tank star has long been an embracer of AI. Earlier this year, he said if he was a young person today, he’d spend every waking moment learning about AI—and would even listen to podcasts while sleeping to get ahead.
And while he hasn’t gone as far as other business leaders to predict AI will help colonize the galaxy in just five years time, Cuban does believe it will soon become a baseline skill on par with email or Excel.
“If you’re not using [AI] to move faster or make smarter decisions, you’re behind,” he told Fortune earlier this year.
“[AI isn’t] just a tool, it’s leverage. If you’re not using AI to move quicker and make smarter decisions, you’re at a disadvantage,” Cuban added. “The most successful entrepreneur will understand how to properly use AI.”
CEOs want employees who are committed to AI implementation
While Cuban remains one of the most vocal about the opportunities that can come from AI, other business leaders agree it presents one of the unique competitive advantages of today’s time.
Even though Apple has been slower than fellow tech giants like Meta, Google, and Microsoft to create their own AI products, its CEO Tim Cook encouraged his employees earlier this month to deploy AI tools faster.
“All of us are using AI in a significant way already, and we must use it as a company as well,” Cook said, according to Bloomberg reporting. “To not do so would be to be left behind, and we can’t do that.”
And while fears about AI replacing jobs remain a concern among workers, it’s least likely to occur to those who choose to dive headfirst into using AI everyday, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
“Every job will be affected, and immediately. It is unquestionable,” Huang said at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference earlier this year. “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
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