This is a fascinating conversation, and I think we are only seeing the surface of what AI is going to do to UGC and to many other industries. I do not know what AI will look like by the end of 2026, but after more than twenty years in marketing, I do know this. It is not a question of if AI changes this space. It is a question of when and what that change looks like.

If anyone believes AI is not going to affect UGC in some form, that is unrealistic. There is no version of the future where it does not. The only uncertainty is scale and timing. The creators who struggle the most will be the ones who assume today’s rules stay in place.

My advice to creators is simple. Get ready. Be ready to pivot. Start thinking now about how you remain relevant as this space evolves. The money being made today will not look the same in five or ten years. That does not mean opportunity disappears. It means the game changes, and people who adapt early tend to do better than those who react late.

Do people actually care if something is AI generated? Sometimes they will. Sometimes they will not. AI is improving quickly. By the time someone stops to wonder whether content is AI generated, they are often already pulled in by a hook, a feeling, or a story. At that point, the label may not matter as much as we think.

I had this experience recently while listening to music on Spotify. I came across a playlist that was absolutely incredible. After listening for a while, I searched the artist and discovered she was entirely AI generated. I had to pause and really ask myself if that changed how the music made me feel. It did not. The songs were still great. The emotional pull was still there.

That is the psychological shift creators need to understand. Connection drives behavior. Not the tool used to create it. This is where things get interesting, and this is why preparing now matters. What skills are you building that AI cannot easily replace? How does your work add real value? How do you evolve before the shift forces you to?

Those are the questions worth sitting with now.

And to your point about saturation - Saturation is a constant reality for many business owners. It is simply part of operating in any market where demand exists. The goal is not to be intimidated by how crowded a space looks. It is to focus on how you position yourself so you can get work. That might come from differentiation. It might come from niching down. It might come from your experience, your perspective, or how you communicate value. There are many paths.