AI Is About to Destroy Fake Writing Gurus
I've been angry about this for six years..
Watching people come out of nowhere with zero writing experience and position themselves as incredible coaches who can help you "grow online fast."
These growth hackers make tens of thousands of dollars launching courses about writing when all they've ever done is write about... writing.
Or hardcore personal development with no soul.
It's been infuriating because they kinda destroy people like me who actually know what we're talking about. Why? Because they’re incredible marketers!
But here's what I just realized about AI recently..
It's about to flip this entire game on its head, and give the real experts the last laugh.
Everyone Thinks AI Levels The Playing Field, But…
I hear a lot of AI aficionados say stuff like:
"Now anyone can create content!"
"AI democratizes expertise!"
"Everyone's going to win!"
I think there’s some truth to it, for sure, but my overwhelming thoughts are…
It’s bullsh*t.
AI isn't going to let more fakes into the arena. It's going to expose them.
AI amplifies your expertise, and if you don't have any real expertise to amplify, you're kind of screwed.
Let me explain..
My Breakthrough Moment Making An AI Tool
A few months ago, I built something called The Notesmith.
It's an AI tool where people can send it their Substack Note drafts and get immediate feedback that sounds exactly like me.
I made a video for my Youtube Channel about how I built it.👇
But here's the thing—every piece of advice in that tool comes from years of real experience.
Conversations with thousands of students.
Responding to thousands of comments.
Writing over 1,000 blog posts and 600+ Substack notes.
Blogging for over 10 years.
Training writers who talk about everything from personal stories to trauma to business lessons.
When I distilled all of that knowledge into one incredible tool, something magical happened.
People started getting 10,000+ likes on single notes after using The Notesmith.
Students are also generating thousands of new subscribers because their Notesmith-edited Notes were going viral.
Why does it work so well?
Because the advice is actually good. It's based on real expertise, not generic growth hacks.
I just used AI to amplify my existing knowledge.
The Brutal Truth About Real vs. Fake Expertise
Here's what these coaches don't understand about AI:
You can't auto-generate expertise.
Great expertise requires detail, real experience, and specific know-how that comes from actually doing the work for years.
I've helped clients write about so many different things—their personal stories, their coaching business, deep trauma they've worked through. Real stuff that matters.
These wannabe writing coaches who seem to make millions billions every month? They don't care about any of that.
They just teach people to write exactly like they write: generic, bland, growth-hacky content with no personality.
And guess what? It doesn't work for most people. But folks keep buying from them because their promises and copywriting are TOP NOTCH. These folks are better sellers than practitioners—and better copywriters than teachers.
Why AI Is My Secret Weapon (And Theirs Isn't)
Here's the thing that's changed everything for me:
AI can basically clone me digitally, but with perfect memory and infinite patience.
Sometimes when I'm coaching someone in real time, I forget things. It's hard to be at my absolute best for everyone.
But with AI? It doesn't forget anything.
Every technique I've learned over thousands of days of doing this work—and every insight from working with thousands of students—it's all there, ready to give customized advice at scale.
The fake coaches can't replicate this because they don't have real expertise to distill in the first place.
I’ve Been Outcompeted Recently, But That Won’t Happen Any More
I'll be honest with you.
These posers have out-sold me for years.
Why? Because I try to ground my courses and copywriting in legitimate claims and promises.
Meanwhile, these people promise the world and deliver peanuts. They don't care about actually helping people—they just want to make as much money as possible.
And for years, it worked.
It's been brutal watching people with little real writing experience out-earn me just because they're better at marketing than I am.
But AI is about to change all of that.
Justice Is Coming, Thanks To AI
Here's what's about to happen:
People with real expertise are going to make AI tools that blow everyone's socks off.
We'll be able to scale our actual knowledge instead of just our marketing.
The snake oil salesmen in your niche? You can destroy them now. Because you actually have the expertise to build something incredible that they can’t.
AI will actually level the playing the field.
Real experts will start “digitizing” their expertise into AI tools at scale, and a lot more people are going to get a lot better help for a lot cheaper.
And as customers get real results from these tools, the fake coaches won’t be able to match them.
If you've been doing real work for years—if you actually know what you're talking about—this is your moment.
Your expertise is now more valuable than ever. Not because AI makes everyone equal, but because it amplifies the people who actually have something worth amplifying.
We're so early in this AI wave. If you take advantage of it right now, you're going to win big.
Stop letting the fakes out-market you. Start out-building them instead.
Take everything you know—every technique, every insight, every hard-won lesson—and distill it into something AI can help you scale.
The people with real expertise are about to lap everyone on the track.
And honestly? It's about damn time.
Your Expertise Is Your Moat
If you've been in your field for years, if you've helped real people with real problems, if you have genuine expertise that comes from doing the work...
AI isn't your threat. It's your secret weapon.
The question isn't whether AI will replace experts.
The question is: are you ready to use AI to finally get the recognition your expertise deserves?
Because the fakes sure as hell aren't ready for what's coming.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly videos on how I use AI to digitize my expertise into AI bots, and triple my annualized revenue on Substack.
I call these gurus "dream thieves." They make money by selling worthless junk to people who have a dream to write, to teach, or to develop a side business. They measure success only based on revenue not what impact it has on people's lives. You talk about in the writing space, but the same thing is true in the teaching space. I remember realizing a few years ago that one of the most beloved gurus in online classes only talked about how to do marketing and nothing about how to create a class that actually helps people learn. The guru was good at marketing and sales, but there was no substance. People bought the courses because they had a dream to share their expertise with others, and by buying a course, they had the dopamine hit that they were doing something to advance toward their goals. The reality was that it wasn't really helping them make progress.
I love your optimism that AI can be a tool to reveal that the lack of substance behind the curtain.
What you said you I already understood! Glad you said it though. Everything in life is not a hack aka A SHORT CUT. Now folks are being trained to seek out the short cut. In my my book The 2020 I call it the 'Diet Pill Syndrome'. I said it best in a substack column from Jan 2024 I am going to share here for those who wish to experience the thought stream. Cheers