Billionaire investor and former Shark Tank judge Mark Cuban recently said he believes artificial intelligence (AI) is just getting started. On the “High Performance” podcast, he compared current AI to early personal computers and smartphones—tools once dismissed but now essential

Cuban suggested we haven’t yet seen AI’s full potential. He predicted the world’s first trillionaire might emerge not from a tech giant, but “just one dude in a basement”—someone who harnesses AI in a wild or revolutionary way

He uses AI in everyday life, writing software, creating text-to-video prompts for his business ventures like the Mavericks, and even tracking his health routines with ChatGPT

While Cuban acknowledged AI isn’t all-powerful and urged users to check its outputs, he’s confident it won’t replace all jobs. Instead, he sees it amplifying creativity and productivity. Cuban believes the real winners will be those who discover ways AI becomes indispensable—like the internet and smartphones once did

Why this matters

Democratization of innovation: Cuban’s vision—that a single innovator working from home could build a trillion-dollar empire using AI—highlights how accessible powerful tools have become.

Shift in value creation: The future economy may reward those who leverage AI to create essential products, rather than those with mass market reach.

Cultural encouragement: Cuban urges everyone to try AI—download tools like ChatGPT or Gemini, explore them, learn their limits, and build from there

Bottom line: AI isn’t just a technological advance—it could be the launchpad for the richest fortunes ever. Whether that’s a tech titan or a lone genius in a basement, the race is on.