Your Business Doesn’t Need AGI, It Needs Clarity
Recently, there have been discussions about Sam Altman claiming that there will be the first single-person billion-dollar company utilizing AI. Frankly, I find this concerning and misguided. The feasibility may not even exist yet, and should this really be a focus? Too many AI community "pillars" are preaching that AGI will accomplish anything and everything a human can do, and more, and it can't come soon enough.
It's not only risky but irrelevant to most businesses around the world.
My local accounting firm doesn't need AGI, nor does it need to eliminate its workforce. Currently, we need to focus on how to effectively utilize the technology we have. Consider a regional CPA firm with 50 employees and $15M revenue, or a 25-person manufacturing company generating $20M annually. Their biggest AI problem isn't whether robots will replace accountants. It's about figuring out how to use AI tools without violating FINRA guidelines, HIPAA requirements, or state privacy laws that they may not even be aware of.
The problem isn't that these businesses are behind the times. While tech leaders focus on theoretical breakthroughs, practical companies have to navigate a regulatory landscape without a clear roadmap. They're trying to make incremental, responsible changes, but struggle to get direct answers to simple questions.
Should they use AI for corporate communications? What about precision document processing? Is it safe for financial analysis? Will it work with existing software platforms? The answers depend on several factors and regulations that are continually evolving, making it difficult for most companies to track. And when business owners search for AI guidance, they find either Silicon Valley hype about replacing entire workforces or dense legal documents that require a compliance team to interpret.
This is the disconnect: big technology companies are building for a future that doesn't exist yet, while real businesses need clarity for decisions they're making today. A regional law firm doesn't need to prepare for artificial general intelligence. It needs to know if using AI to draft contracts violates bar association guidelines.
While the AI community debates billion-dollar solo companies, ordinary businesses are stuck in a regulatory Wild West with no clear governing body, inconsistent state laws, and outdated information channels. They need practical guidance, not theoretical breakthroughs.
Because your regional CPA firm doesn't need to revolutionize humanity, it just needs to know if using AI for tax document review violates any regulations. And right now, for some, that's a harder question to answer than it should be.
