In one of the recent debates around artificial intelligence (AI), Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and entrepreneur, spoke in favor of AI technology. He drew a parallel comparison between adopting AI in the early days of streaming technology and high-definition TV.
Cuban argued that skepticism about AI is pointless and that companies will thrive if they embrace the tech.
From Early Streaming Skepticism to AI Reality
Mark Cuban’s perspective is rooted in the early lessons he learned from his past business ventures. When media streaming wasn’t mainstream, Cuban was one of the first adopters who bet on internet media. He launched AudioNet, the earliest video streaming platform, which later evolved into Broadcast.com.
This venture was acquired by Yahoo! for almost $5.7 billion, further establishing its place in the history of tech. This is how the Shark Tank investor got firsthand insight about how nascent technology can become dominant.
In a statement issued in December 2025, Mark emphasized that criticism of AI mirrors the dismissive attitudes of critics who once dismissed HDTV’s evolution.
Critics in the early 2000s argued that the high cost of HDTV sets might prevent the technology from being adopted at scale. However, HDTV later became the standard, mainstreaming across countries.
AI Skepticism Reflects Past Tech Mistakes
As per Mark, today’s criticism of artificial intelligence is similar to early criticism of streaming tech:
- Focus on limitations rather than early potential: As with early video-streaming platforms that suffered from bandwidth constraints, AI’s current weaknesses have become the focus of criticism.
- Doubts about long-term adoption: Mark Cuban noted that early skepticism underestimated the potential of streaming technology, even though technological improvements and consumer demand can converge at any time.
- Dismissing the future potential: Moreover, many early broadcasters dismissed the idea of shifting to digital, a mistake that opened the door to industry transformation.
Cuban’s message is crystal clear. The critics are not dismissing the growth of artificial intelligence because of its future potential to scale. Instead, it is being dismissed because people judge its growth from a presentist perspective.
AI as a Defining Line Between Thriving and Fading Companies
In response to the current criticism, Cuban estimates that the business landscape will split into two types of companies. On the one hand, companies that would scale with the use of AI; on the other, companies that had previously existed in business.
Mark emphasizes that artificial intelligence will not replace human intelligence; instead, it will complement it. It can serve as a tool that amplifies its effects by working alongside humans. Consequently, he supports his statement by arguing that it will make intelligent people even more thoughtful.
His point of view features an incremental approach to the adoption of AI. It is one of those technologies that enhances creativity, competitive advantage, and productivity, rather than suddenly disrupting industries on its own.
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Lessons From Cuban’s Own Tech Journey
Mark’s belief in AI tech is not based on any theory; instead, it is driven by his own tech history that disrupted the industry. Long before video streaming technology became mainstream, Cuban and his partner in the 1990s guessed its early potential.
Although there were major issues, such as bandwidth constraints and degraded video quality, these initially raised doubts. Since then, the technology has improved drastically, led by massive consumer adoption, and streaming today dominates media consumption. That experience taught Mark various lessons.
- Patience: It taught the billionaire investor that new technology requires some time to grow and scale. While criticism mostly shows temporary drawbacks.
- Vision matters: By his recent commentary, he also wants to convey that recognizing the disruptive potential of any technology requires a willingness and foresight.
- Adoption accelerates with enhancements: With improvements in accessibility, infrastructure, and cost, technologies that were once neglected can become ubiquitous.
Mark Cuban observes the same scale emerging with generative AI as it is in its early stages. However, it is rapidly gaining adoption and capabilities.
AI’s Relation to Business Survival
Mark’s recent remarks have a deeper and wider meaning. It means that the survival of businesses today relies on how companies incorporate AI into their operations. Companies opposing its transition face a greater risk of being left behind, as competitors will use AI to enhance innovation and efficiency.
Real-World Business Advantages of AI
Cuban also talks about where the value of AI lies. It exists in its ability to:
- Improve decision-making: Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence processes data much faster than humans can. It further supports leaders and management executives to make more precise and informed decisions.
- Automating repetitive tasks: Additionally, artificial intelligence can help handle repetitive day-to-day tasks like content scheduling, report generation, follow-ups, and more. This frees up the leaders and other employees to work on higher-value tasks.
- Improve customer interactions: By performing customer follow-ups and talking to them, AI can provide data insights that can help companies improve customer experience.
- Fuel innovation: Companies that leverage the power of AI can explore new and innovative solutions, along with new business models.
Conclusion
Mark’s viewpoint is not blind optimism; rather, it is rooted in years of experience navigating revolutionary transformation and betting on opportunities and innovations where people see limitations.
Hence, for leaders and entrepreneurs, the message simply means that instead of laughing and criticizing current drawbacks of AI, start figuring out how you can leverage it. The future belongs to organizations that make artificial intelligence a critical part of their strategy.
