A few years back I discovered an amazing tool launched by Dropbox – Dropbox Showcase.

I was working in a very busy Media/PR job at the time and the tool was perfect for what we needed. We could quickly and easily upload videos, photos and content for our media colleagues to use in an attractive and accessible format.

It became an invaluable part of the daily workflow for my team.

Then one day…

Yep.

They just decided to close the product. In a few months they’d delete the lot. No backup, no alternative. Just gone.

Google is particularly famous for doing this – launching a beloved product, relied on by people all around the world and then out-of-the-blue and with a big *shrug* towards their customers they decide to shut it down.

RIP Dropbox Showcase. I hardly knew ye.

Is an AI bubble coming?

This has been on my mind lately in the context of AI – is it really safe to incorporate these tools into essential parts of our workflow as comms professionals?

It appears I’m not the only skeptic.

I stumbled across this email/post from Cory Doctorow and was particularly struck by this quote:

AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100% convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can’t do your job, and when the bubble bursts, the money-hemorrhaging “foundation models” will be shut off and we’ll lose the AI that can’t do your job, and you will be long gone, retrained or retired or “discouraged” and out of the labor market, and no one will do your job. AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations.

I posted a screenshot of this quote on Bluesky and well…let’s just say it got quite the reaction:

The longer piece (which I highly recommend reading) explores the likelihood of a big crash coming for the AI sector.

These companies aren’t making profit – and they’re not projected to for a long time. The hype is not materialising into profit.

What happens when they crash? What happens to the pricing of the companies and the tools that are left behind?

Will the tool I rely on today double in price next month? Will it exist next year?

How do we prepare for the crash?

Flexibility is the key.

Big Tech wants to make us reliant for the bait-and-switch that’s coming. (Remember when Facebook was actually useful?)

Keep trying new tools. Keep practising your old skills. Experiment and play with new skills.

Your core skills as a communicator are still and will continue to be relevant in the future.

I’m also looking at tools I can keep some level of control over into the future – machine learning tools that run locally on my devices (and don’t rely on the cloud or subscriptions) or direct methods for reaching my audiences.

Don’t let Big Tech make you feel redundant – your core skills, curiosity and creativity will be more important than ever when the crash comes.

-JB

Hi, I’m JB – I’ve been working as a broadcaster, content maker and comms advisor for nearly 20 years. Aus Comms Guide is my newsletter to share comms tips for good people and good causes. Sign up on email at auscommsguide.com

Interesting stuff!

Have we failed at explaining climate change?

The wonderful Lee Constable has written this great piece for Cosmos Magazine speaking to climate science communicators re: how we need to talk about the climate in 2025 and beyond.