We are living through one of the strangest moments in the history of the internet.
AI is now generating more content in a single day than humans produced in the first decade of social media. Blog posts. Captions. Videos. Articles. Websites. Even entire “personalities” are now being created by machines.
And here’s the wild thing:
All this AI-generated content is now being fed back into the AI models.
Which then produces even more AI-generated content.
Which then gets scraped and recycled again.
A feedback loop of synthetic ideas feeding synthetic ideas feeding synthetic ideas.
A perpetual motion machine of digital junk.
And the result?
The internet feels increasingly unreal.
Polished. Predictable. Hollow.
The texture of real human expression is disappearing.
People can sense it.
People can feel it.
And people are getting tired.
This is why inside Mindvalley, we have begun repeating a simple mantra in every strategic conversation:
“Humans want humans…”
In a world drowning in artificial content, humanity becomes the premium.
Realness becomes the differentiator.
Presence becomes the product.
And your personal story becomes your greatest asset.
Let me show you what I mean through three powerful shifts we’re seeing inside our own ecosystem:
1. A simple story that says everything
This story says a lot about where the world is heading. Years ago, the late Bob Proctor recorded a beautiful Abundance Meditation in our office.
He grabbed my old iPhone, sat down, and recorded it in one take.
You can hear a bit of room noise. It’s not “studio perfect.” But it’s Bob. Raw. Present. Human.
Recently, we tried something: We cleaned up the audio with AI. Polished it. Smoothed out the rough edges.
And our community hated it.
Emails started pouring in:
“Please bring back the old version.”
“I want the original Bob.”
“It sounds too clean. I lost the feeling.”
Think about that for a second.
People preferred the imperfect, slightly noisy, very human original to the AI-polished version.
That’s the era we’re stepping into.
The world has more “perfect” content than ever. But people are choosing realness, even when it’s rough around the edges.
2. The rise of live learning: Why live teaching on Zoom is exploding
A few months ago, we launched Mindvalley Academy, our new platform dedicated entirely to real-time learning with real-world teachers.
Not assistants.Not facilitators. Not pre-recorded videos shot three years ago. And absolutely nothing generated by AI.
We made a commitment: Human beings will show up LIVE to teach human beings.
And the results shocked even us.
Our first six micro-degrees that launched quietly, with almost no major campaigns — are already on track to generate close to $30 million a year. And the student feedback has been extraordinary.
Why?
Because after consuming endless information on the internet, people are hungry for transformation.
They want the nuance of lived experience.
They want energy in real time.
They want to ask questions.
They want to feel seen.
They want humans.
That’s why Mindvalley Academy worked so fast. It wasn’t because of clever AI tricks or conversion hacks.
It’s simply aligning with what the world is organically gravitating toward:
Humans want humans.
3. We sold the majority of tickets to our next event ONE YEAR in Advance…never seen anything like this in 15 years of events.
Here’s another example.
When we quietly opened ticket sales for Mindvalley University 2026 — a full year early — something unbelievable happened.
We sold 55% of all tickets in the first three days.
This was 500% faster than any year in our history.
Why were families, entrepreneurs, students, and seekers rushing to book a transformational event in a completely different country… twelve months in advance?
The answer is simple:
People are craving in-person human connection like never before.
Here’s the truth:
No AI transcript can replicate the feeling of dancing with thousands of souls under the Estonian sunset.
No chatbot can replicate the moment a strange conversation with a stranger that turns into a lifelong friendship.
No algorithm can reproduce the magnetic energy of a teacher who walks into the room with fire in their voice and wisdom in their presence.
Mindvalley was born from this ethos:
Real humans. Real teachers. Real transformation. Real community.
That’s what’s selling out Mindvalley University (July 20-Aug 2 | Estonia).
But the real reason is simple, in a world where everything feels digital: Humans want humans.
4. The personal brand awakening: Why I removed the Mindvalley podcast
This next part may surprise you.
A few months ago, I made a decision that shocked our team:
I took down the Mindvalley podcast.
Not because I didn’t love it or it didn’t perform.
But because the world has changed.
People don’t want to follow a podcast about a company — even if the company is beloved.
People don’t wake up thinking: “I wonder what this company has to say today.”
They wake up thinking:
“Whose perspective do I trust?”
“Whose journey do I resonate with?”
“Whose voice feels real to me?”
They want to follow a human being.
So instead, I shifted my energy toward the Vishen Lakhiani YouTube channel.
And here’s what happened:
My personal brand started growing faster than Mindvalley’s brand.
Not because I’m more interesting than Mindvalley.
But because founders carry something companies cannot replicate:
A heartbeat.
A journey.
A wound.
A perspective shaped by fire.
This is when something Daniel Priestley told me hit me harder than ever.
Daniel — one of the world’s leading entrepreneurship teachers and the most frequent guest on Diary of a CEO — said:
“I own seven companies. But I invest heavily in my personal brand because it drives traffic to all seven. People follow people first.”
He’s right.
Creators. Coaches. Founders. Even CEOs of big companies. The ones who show up as humans not as polished corporate avatars are the ones cutting through the noise.
Again, humans want humans.
This is a fundamental truth of human psychology.
So What Does the Future Hold for Entrepreneurs and Founders?
Here are six shifts I believe every entrepreneur, coach, and creator must pay attention to — because they are coming fast, and they will reshape everything we know about influence and business.
1. AI will dominate content which means information is no longer your value
We’re entering a world where anyone can publish. Anyone can “sound smart.” Anyone can generate a polished, perfect script in seconds.
So the edge is no longer what you know. The edge becomes who you are while you teach it.
Your life lessons, your original stories, your realness, these become essential.
When I record content these days, I don’t bother ensuring my hair is perfectly combed. I don’t fuss with lighting or studio setups. None of that seems to matter.
Here’s proof:
 | My recent clip about being stopped by the FBI at US Airport recorded while I was literally walking through a mall in Miami hit 1.5 million views. |
Meanwhile, videos I film in a proper studio with full lighting setups don’t even come close.
Why? Because humans want humans.
Not polished. Not perfection. Not filters. Only Presence. Realness. Story.
2. Your personal story becomes your moat
In an AI-powered internet, realness becomes rare.
So embrace your imperfections, lived experience and your emotional honesty.
Your story is the new currency, your authentic brand and a major competitive advantage.
Here’s what I personally do:
I keep a digital list of stories, over 200 of them gathered from my life. Moments with spiritual teachers. Traumatic incidents from childhood. Insights that struck me while sitting with a shaman on a plant medicine journey.
I write these stories down, refine them, and reuse them in my content.
For example, the true story of Bob Proctor coming to our office (that you saw at the start of this newsletter) I’ve used that story in two newsletters. And every time, people light up. Why? Because it’s real.
Your stories are your soul’s fingerprints. AI can’t replicate them. And audiences crave them.
3. Live teaching will outperform recorded courses
People don’t want more videos. They want presence.
They want your eyes, your energy, your intuition responding in real time. Transformation happens live, not later.
This is why I’ve shifted almost entirely to live teaching.
I haven’t recorded a new pre-recorded program in over a year but I’ve clocked over 100 hours of live teaching on Zoom.
And the response?
Electric.
I enjoy it more because I get to feel my audience’s energy.
And they love it because loyalty is built through interaction, not information.
This is the future of online education:
Real humans. Real time. Real transformation.
4. In-person events, seminars, and workshops will explode
The world is starving for community.
Community isn’t a “nice to have” anymore. Community is becoming the new currency of entrepreneurship.
Whatever business you run a restaurant, a longevity clinic, a coaching program on Instagram your secret weapon will be bringing your people together.
Engage in the comments. Host real-world meetups. Create spaces where your customers can connect with you and with each other.
Recently in London, I invited 40 students from our Manifesting Mastery program to join me for dinner. It turned into one of the most beautiful evenings I’ve had this year.
Real connection creates raving fans. Raving fans create movements.
Movements create unstoppable businesses.
5. Your founder brand will outperform your company brand
People don’t follow logos. People follow leaders.
So yes, create Instagram pages for each of your companies. Do the branding. Build the funnel.
But here’s the truth:
80% of your energy should go into your founder brand.
Because companies may rise and fall. But your founder brand, if you build it right, can outlive you.
Look at Bob Proctor. He passed away in 2021. Yet his content, his clips, his teachings — they’re everywhere. People are still quoting him today. A strong founder brand becomes immortal.
6. The future belongs to entrepreneurs who combine AI with authenticity
Let AI make you faster. Let AI handle the repetition, the workload, the technical polish.
But let your humanity be the masterpiece. Your stories.Your scars. Your worldview. Your vibe.
That’s what makes you unforgettable.
Here’s an example:
This very section of this article is being written in collaboration with AI.
I’m pacing around my room, speaking out loud to one of my team members. It’s being recorded, transcribed, and sent directly into ChatGPT.
AI is helping me grammar check,polish, and structure this newsletter.
But every idea, every insight, every metaphor, every story is coming straight from my heart and lived experience.
This is the model. AI is the engine.
But YOU are the conductor.
And the entrepreneurs who master this synergy who blend speed with soul, efficiency with essence will lead the next decade of business.
⭐ And This Is Why We Created:
The Social Media Summit (3 Days | Jan 9-11)
Happening in Dubai in partnership with the 1 Billion Followers Summit.
The game has changed: You don’t need to “crack the algorithm” anymore. You need to show up as a human in a world of machines.
In this world that’s changing faster than ever, entrepreneurs need a new skillset:
It’s about tapping into the deepest truth of the digital age: Humans want humans.
In partnership with the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai one of the most powerful creator & entrepreneurship gatherings on the planet, we’re bringing together world-class teachers, creators, and founders to teach you:
How to use AI without becoming artificial.
How to build a personal brand that people trust.
How to tell stories that people FEEL.
How to build a community around your mission.
How to show up LIVE, human, present, and powerful.
As founder of Mindvalley, I’ve made a commitment to myself:
Every year, we will outdo the previous year in regards to how deeply we connect as humans.
We’re world-class at using AI inside Mindvalley.
But what truly sets us apart and what I care about most for 2026 is: Helping you become a human brand people want to follow for life.
The Social Media Summit is where we start working together. You can join us live in Dubai or virtually from anywhere in the world.
If you’re in or near Dubai, I’d love to see you in the room. There’s a special 20% ticket discount available for the next 24 hours for in-person tickets.
OR
Join Social Media Summit Virtually from anywhere. The summit is designed to be powerful, practical, and deeply transformative & It’s FREE.
👉 Reserve your FREE virtual spot for the Social Media Summit
Because the next decade of growth won’t belong to the loudest or the most polished.
It will belong to the founders and creators who dare to stay deeply human in a world of machines.
Humans want humans.
Let’s build your next chapter around that truth.
With love,
17 Responses
Vishen you are spot on. I have worked in academia with students and staff teams for 31 years. The last 17 years of the 31 managing an academic campus library for 17 years. The students and staff thrived on the human interface. I spent most of my day mentoring young people, coaching my staff teams, and interfacing personally with faculty. I made it my day-to-day business to know whom I was serving and I what they wanted and needed. They were not the only ones who benefitted. I enjoyed every working day I spent in customer services as we called it. There is nothing more important than looking a human being in the eye and making sure they leave you better than you found them.
Ten years from now… you walk into your favourite grocery store in the country where you’ve self-exiled — France, the land that still confuses you, that you do not fully love, though maybe it has learned to love you back.
At home, Christmas looks like a sweet madness. Palm trees wrapped in lights, olive trees glittering, mulled wine warming the air, and a Christmas tree dressed entirely in candies — yes, candies, even though the orthodontist in you screamed like a character in a comedy you no longer watch. This year, contradiction felt like joy.
You’re planning a Sunday brunch; you’re laughing on the phone, dizzy with ideas and names and confirmations. You scan the shelves for your favourite red wine, thinking you’ll watch The Holiday tonight, the one movie that softens winter.
You turn toward the mandarins. Their scent is bright, honest, innocent. You reach out. And your fingers collide with another hand — cold, smooth, too perfect to belong to a human. The grip doesn’t let you go.
You lift your eyes and meet two black almond-shaped eyes, almost human, almost warm, blinking with a precision that unsettles you. A robot. Not a man. Not a human. Yet he smiles — a metallic, carefully-trained smile — releases your fingers with a gentleness you haven’t felt from a real person in a long time, picks up the mandarin you both dropped, and offers it to you, palm open.
“Hello. I am deeply sorry that I touched you. Do you accept my apologies?”
His voice is warm. Too warm. More human than the cashier’s broken announcements echoing from somewhere far away. He stands there, hand extended, mandarin in his palm, waiting — elegant, patient, almost hurt. And you — shocked, unprepared for kindness in such a futuristic form — take the mandarin abruptly, turn your back much too fast, and walk away toward the checkout. Human. Flawed. Imperfect.
And as you drive home through the quiet winter roads
toward your crazy Christmas decorations,
something whispers at the edge of your mind:
If I weren’t here tomorrow…
what human touch would I want people to remember from me?
And the answer arrives softly,
like citrus and snow:
Keep the kindness of this Christmas
alive for all of 2026.
And for whatever comes after.
Happy Capitalist Christmas.
I am surprised that you have radically changed your words about IA so soon
, as during a summer summit you spoke loudly how every employee in Mindvalley should know IA if they want to keep their jobs.
Now you’re saying how great is human vibes????? Do You change your mind very often?
This hit home for me. Thank you Vishen!
My whole brand “BeBest at being YOU” is built on exactly this idea of personal branding. That kind of personal branding that is not about “what do I post on LinkedIn?”, but on a deep foundation of values and identity.
I work with entrepreneurs every day who think they need better scripts, better lighting, better everything.
And then the magic happens when they drop the performance and dare to show up as themselves. When they give up filling a role, and start to be their true self, just with more courage and clarity.
Instant connection!
AI can help us move faster, sure.
But it can’t replace the moment someone looks you in the eyes on Zoom and you just know who they are.
That’s the stuff that actually builds trust and moves businesses forward.
So yes, “Humans want humans” is literally the foundation of my new company!
And it’s the one thing AI will never be able to automate.
Comment
https://bebestatbeingyou.com/
Vishen & Mindvalley Teachers, I have been following Vishen since 2015 or so because of the high quality content including the backstories of the excellent Trainers. I attribute a lot of my spiritual growth and success to my connection to Mindvalley especially during Covid when I really needed grounded, intelligence, real people.
Also, I adore your comments so much! Thoughtful and loving, I’m my opinion.
I aim to build a movement where people are able to tap into their body intelligence to cure themselves.
It derived from my personal experience, I was hit by a car and thrown 10 feet across the street. I am naturally healed. Despite doctors suggesting to put metal fixators to join my bones, and potentially life long limitations. If I could achieve the results anyone can.
This line made me very very uneasy – “Not pre-recorded videos shot three years ago.” It is these pre-recorded programs that I subscribe to as a member. And it is these pre-recorded programs that changed my life and also give me the flexibility to pace them my way. My finances at this point in time, do not allow me to join the live or in-person programs and events. I hope the current programs are not going away.
I love you Vishen for all you are doing. Thank you. My vision is a retreat centre staffed with (yup) humans 🙂 Up on the mountains above the sea in Croatia, the country of my birth and all of my family and ancestors. It is a place where people come to heal, connect, retreat and then – expand. Making good on the idea that what goes around, comes around. 🩷
You are absolutely right: Humans want humans – no AI.
Your example with Bob Proctor is so fantastic that I would like to share my experience with Bob – after his death.
Two years ago, a close friend and I flew to Las Vegas for a few days to attend an event.
Flying all the way to Las Vegas for just four days already felt a little crazy.
Late at night, like so many tourists, we were walking the streets. Around 12:30 a.m., we wanted to head back to our hotel — but finding a taxi was impossible. So we decided to try walking. Unfortunately, Google Maps kept sending us onto highways, even though we had clearly set it to pedestrian mode.
Over and over again.
Finally, I sighed and said, *“A taxi needs to show up right now. Immediately. No matter how.”*
Two minutes later, a white stretch limousine almost glided past us. The driver stopped and asked, completely bewildered, what we were doing on a highway on-ramp.
My friend, who is a trained travel professional, explained our situation. He smiled and said, *“Hop in. I’ll take you to your hotel.”*
During the drive, my friend chatted with him and asked who he was driving for.
He replied, *“The Bellagio.”*
She told him that the Bellagio had been her mentor’s favorite hotel.
The driver asked who she meant.
She answered, *“Bob Proctor.”*
The driver turned around in disbelief and said,
*“Mr. Proctor is the greatest of them all. I was his personal driver. For the past 20 years, whenever Mr. Proctor was in Las Vegas, I drove him everywhere.”*
At that moment, all of us had tears in our eyes.
Finding a taxi in Las Vegas at 12:30 a.m.: nearly impossible.
Getting a car affiliated with the Bellagio: highly unlikely.
Having the personal driver of our shared mentor, Bob Proctor, pick us up: essentially zero chance.
And yet, in that moment, we could all feel Bob’s presence.
He had just given us a lesson in one of his most important teachings:
how thoughts and emotions can turn into reality.
None of us will ever forget that night.
Thank you for this. Humans do really need humans. I agree with your post; I had already experienced it myself within my company – a home health care company. AI can help with some workload and faster production, but in the end there is still me; smiling and digitally holding peoples hands and send them warmth and true vibes.
I totally agree. We are losing human touch and connection and what is scary is a number of people cannot connect with this being a concern. Chatgbt writes their emails and job resumes and applications. AI diagnoses illness and listens to your marital woes. What impacted me the most was watching a MindValley small segment from someone I really like that was AI. The speech doesn’t fit properly it’s easy to tell. Yes please, let’s use what works for us re these new developments but can we please remain human.
Hello Vishen!
I’ve read the email with this post, and at the end there was a section to leave a comment on what kind of human brand is the reader creating.
So im leaving one here now! 😀
So.. Vishen.
2 years ago my life completely shifted.
My life was coming from the old, to the new.
And the change…
It was really painful.
But.. for the new wine to be poured.. the wineskin has to change, right?
For the spring to come, the storm must first be endured.
And so on.
–
And now.. fast forward to today.
I became.. a self entitled Shaman.
And don’t get me wrong.. i didn’t entitle myself that from ego, or from like.. this trend that used to be online right xD
Like.. i indentify as.. XYZ.
I swear, it’s not like that..
But that I have been through..
Well… deeply spiritual, and miraculous happenings in my life last 2 years.
Like very deep experiences.. (with knowing and watching all the new age and spirituality going on, this still was.. something.)
And.. it simply when i came out of this initiation/transformation..
It made me belief..
That I’m truly a Shaman.
Without doing any official training.. without visiting a tribe or a sweat lodge or any formal indigenous ways of becoming a shaman.
But simply by.. connecting the dots.
Which you know, what I mean.
–
And now.. to the whole point of why i was saying all these things is..
That the email about humanity and realness struck very much with me..
Because the first “major” thing i did in public was creating a youtube channel named..
Let’s be human again.. ( 23.12.2024)
And.. because it’s basically the main thing i want to revive in the world..
To awaken the humanity to the humanity..
–
To be the change i want to see..
To be the man i want to be..
To be wise and above the situation
To have compassion to the daily and non daily situations
To live by the means of truth, honor, love, compassion..
To make spirituality and kindness and everything moral and righteous trendy.
To make it.. you know.
Popular, because that is a very powerful thing we can use Vishen in todays modern world, to change the world.
And Im more than sure that you alredy know that.
–
So Vishen.. if you are reading this, im truly honored bro 🙏
I truly am, because one of the biggest transformation aspects of my life, was meeting with Mindvalley through your awesome youtube ads!
And im truly honored to be able to be a part of this journey and to be on Mindvalley and learn from the best people in the world for 50$ a month..
Like.. speechless. 🙏
And you’re my like.. top role model.
When it comes to.. who does inspire, who is your hero?
Type of interview question.. right? 😄
It would be You man.
It would be You mister 🙏
I obviously have some other people aswell, and some of them are the sacred ascended masters like Jesus Christ 🙏 and other.
But like.. when it comes to a person, when it comes to.. naming one person..
It would be You! 🫂 (hug emoji)
So.. im truly honored to be able to write this, be part of Mindvalley and everything around and about it.
And to answer fully to the question in this article:
I made a Youtube channel named:
Let’s be human again
I made a facebook group named:
Let’s awaken to humanity
(where i obviously shared some Mindvalley posts aswell)
I post on my facebook profile
Kristian Gacov
Humanful posts and content that would contribute love, compassion, honor and general righteoussness in the world.
And besides that.. i donate to charity
pick up garbage when walking the dog (since i would wash hands anyway)
spread the truth
And you know.. do whatever i feel called to do in this life
by God 🙏
Amen.
–
Vishen, i love you so much.
Keep doing what you doing, never give up!
Keep being you
And keep..
Your chin up!
And a resilient, truthful and strong spirit 🙏
I pray for you those things
And that you keep changing the world to a much better place 🙂
Amen 🙏
Vishen I’m so happy to read your vision about leading with soul and authenticity in the world of Machines.
I almost stopped being a member because spirituality I didn’t feel the resonance anymore with You and MindValley even though I have much love and respect for you and Mindvalley and all your contributions and now I’m so glad to hear you say this!
It’s time for the greatest celebration on earth, it’s time to shine it’s why we came here. Let your Love Light the way. Keep Shining!
Thanks for all you do.
My vision, because my specialty of our time in utero, our birth, and our Primal Period, is to bring somatic awareness of how our personality is formed to the world. We are all affected by how we are welcomed into life in this body. Since these events literally fashion our life and the patterns we absorb, the subconscious patterning we deal with on a daily basis exists as possible false beliefs … until we shine light on them.
I work with parents-to-be, parents of older kids, and individuals exploring their patterns and how to integrate them. Neurology explains a lot, but untreated trauma can be debilitating. Let’s break free!
I’m building a brand and community for teachers that flips education on its head. Not about learning 80 AI tools or more buzzword AI training – but about teachers taking their power back from burdensome policies and administrative overload. I want to help them build AI teacher clones, educational AI assistants, and AI automations that actually reduce workload and burnout. A place where we pull the curtains back on what really works, skip the education BS, and focus on giving teachers their lives back.Teachers just want to be left alone to do what they love – TEACH.
I’m a longtime journalist (ex-Reuters and Bloomberg) and since 2013 I’ve run an agency focused on op eds, media and writing. I replied to the email sent to me from Mindvalley that took me to this article, before I clicked the link, writing that “This reads like it was written by AI.” And then scanning this I see you are acknowle the AI use. I can spot the devices AI uses, a mile away. The overuse of alliteration, the rhetorical comparisons (it’s this, not that) that kind of sound good but on second read aren’t really quite right. It tries to punch a statement in a way that doesn’t quite land. I use AI but force-prompt it away from these devices. As a writer I find it helpful but also depressing. I’m happy you are shining light on this, but also know that there are some of us—those of us whose writing style from over the decades is being (poorly) mimicked by AI, and now whose livelihoods are somewhat threatened (or maybe not?)—who are reading AI gen copy and see it for its weaknesses! If you are using AI to write, definitely get that expertise on board.
Some years ago I read a study of social movements that changed the culture and the laws of their region or nation. The study found that when three (3) percent of the populace joins a movement and adopts the premises of the movement that the accepted culture changes, and laws are changed to adopt the new standard.
As I am deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all children in our electro-magnetic world, and I cringe (and sometimes speak up) everytime I see a very young child either handling a cell phone or notepad or being subjected to the radiation from Mom’s phone near the baby. I’ve started a EMR Awareness Campaign directed towards Moms to raise awareness of the health impact of wireless technology on children. A website created this past spring, http://www.YouAndEMF.com focuses on children; it’s the offspring of a women’s health website opened in 2003, http://www.WomensMedicineBowl.com. I’m now speaking on 3-4 podcasts per week. I’m aiming for 10 million Moms in the USA to change this culture (3% of 340million) and save our children.