AI Ain't Just For Thumbnails Anymore

AI ain’t just for making content anymore

Think of everything you’ve heard creators talk about in the context of AI so far.

The reality is that most of the industry is laser-focused on using AI to optimize content production. Write scripts faster. Edit videos in half the time. Generate eye-catching graphics without opening Photoshop.

And that's all great! Seriously, use those tools. They’re dope, and they’re going to enable creativity on a level we haven’t seen before.

But there's a second wave of AI opportunities that almost nobody in the creator economy is talking about (except me, right now!!): building software products (affordably) that solve your audience's problems.

The math of creating software is changing dramatically

I talk to a loooot of creators about building products, and this is (was) a pretty common scenario:

We work with a creator to identify a genuine problem their audience has. They know they could build software to solve it. They get excited, we define the product... and then reality hits when we start talking about the cost of building a scaleable software product.

For the point of this example, let’s say building a proper SaaS product would cost…

At that point, most creators go one of two routes:

1. Say “yikes, I can’t afford that” and partner with an existing software company (affiliate deals and brand partnerships!)
2. Abandon the idea entirely

But what if that $1 million price tag dropped to $400K? Or $200K? Or even lower?

Suddenly, the math starts to make sense. You could fund development through a combination of revenue, investment, or even pre-sales—and maintain 100% ownership of the product.

The barriers to entry are collapsing, and creators who recognize this shift early will have a massive advantage.

Products that were impossible are now possible

There's another dimension to this whole thing that is just as, if not more, exciting.

AI isn't just making existing software cheaper to build—it's enabling entirely new categories of products that simply weren't possible before.

Think personalization at a scale and depth that wasn't feasible.

Think products that learn and adapt to each user.

Think experiences that blend content, community, and utility in ways that were previously too complex or costly to execute.

Creator businesses thrive on connection with an audience. AI now allows you to create deeper, more meaningful connections through products that respond to individual needs and preferences, among a whole host of other opportunities.

An actual example: How ROYO is transforming reading education

We recently worked with Yasmin Barkett, a teacher on a mission to transform literacy education. She came to us with a vision for an AI-powered guided reading platform called ROYO (Read On Your Own).

Here's what makes ROYO special:

• It uses AI to generate personalized, decodable books tailored to each child's interests and reading level
• Kids can choose their own adventures, characters, and settings—becoming the heroes of their own stories
• The system follows strict rules based on the Science of Reading methodology
• Teachers get a comprehensive dashboard showing individual and classroom-wide reading progress

This is a product that simply couldn't have existed before recent advances in AI. The level of personalization and adaptability would have been prohibitively expensive and technically unfeasible.

And it is already resonating with kids and teachers alike, as more than 25,000 personalized books have now been created by young readers.

Most importantly, ROYO isn't just a nice-to-have tool—it's solving a fundamental problem in education by making reading more engaging and effective for every child.

(You can also check out our full case study on ROYO here if you’re interested)

What this means for creators

It’s kind of hard for us to look at individual creators now without spitballing up possibilities for incredible products.

If you're a creator with a dedicated audience, here's what you should be thinking about:

1. Identify the real problems your audience faces. Not surface-level issues, but the deeper challenges they'd gladly pay to solve.
2. Consider whether AI enables solutions that weren't possible before. Can you offer personalization at scale? Can you create adaptive experiences? Can you blend content and utility in new ways?
3. Reassess the economics. Products that weren't financially viable 12 months ago might make perfect sense today.
4. Own your solution. Instead of sending your audience to another company's product for an affiliate fee, consider building and owning the solution yourself.

And ya, we get it…that is nice and tidy when you put it in a numbered list, but is easier said (written?) than done. If you want to talk through any of the above points, holler at us ☎️

Creators who recognize this shift early will be building businesses that will set them up for years to come, while everyone else is still figuring out how to use ChatGPT to write better Instagram captions (sick burn).

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