Internet Money?

When Bitcoin came out in 2009, I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever heard of.

"Internet money?”

Sure, right after I buy oceanfront property in Nebraska," I remember saying.

It was for nerds with too much time on their hands, not serious people like me.

Back then, when you could buy a Bitcoin for $0.00076, I dismissed it entirely and moved on with my life.

By 2022, I was paying attention.

I spent $500 when it was $19,000 a coin.

A good investment, right?

Except here's the kicker: if I'd spent that same $500 in 2009, I'd now have over $12 billion.

With a B.

I thought about that the other night at the Remington Homes Christmas party, where my friend and former owner Charlie was working on his third glass of eggnog.

Charlie, who I bought the company from last year, had added a little "holiday cheer" to the recipe.

AI is a toy," he announced loudly to anyone near the punch bowl.

"All it can do is write poems and cheat at board games. It's not gonna change anything."

Charlie's retiring this month, and I respect him, but let me tell you: that extra bourbon had him talking nonsense.

AI is not a toy. It's the next big thing—and not just big, massive.

This week, I gave ChatGPT access to every story I've written.

It read hundreds of thousands of words in less than five minutes.

Then I told it to write like me.

And it did.

Not kind of like me—exactly like me.

Humor, tone, pacing—it nailed it.

To prove the point, I asked it to write this story.

Yes, this story.

The one you're reading right now.

ChatGPT wrote it based on a six-sentence prompt I uploaded.

Now, tell the truth - did you have any idea? Did you think, "This doesn't sound like Richard?"

If you say yes, I might call you a liar.

Charlie's bourbon-soaked skepticism reminded me of my smugness about Bitcoin in 2009.

Back then, I thought I was so clever for not wasting time on some silly digital currency.

Now, I look back and realize I wasn't clever—I was clueless.

Here's the thing: AI isn't in its infancy. It's already awkwardly sprinting through its teenage years, and it'll be running the show before long.

It's not just writing stories and drawing pictures; it's creating code, diagnosing problems, and solving issues faster than humans ever could.

And it's only getting smarter.

So, learn from my mistakes.

Don't dismiss AI like I dismissed Bitcoin.

The people brushing it off today will wish they'd paid attention tomorrow.

If you're still skeptical, remember this: the words you're reading didn't come from me—they came from AI.

A story this long usually takes me about 30 minutes to write.

This one took six after spending less than five training the AI to write like me.

If that doesn't convince you of AI's power, maybe Charlie has some extra eggnog to help you think it over.