2026 is the best year of your life to launch an AI business (or a serious side project)
The AI market is set to surpass $500 billion by 2028. Major corporations are cutting tens of thousands of jobs. And the tools to build something solid are accessible to everyone, often for free. If you’re waiting for the “right time” to get started, you’re missing it right now.
What to keep in mind before reading on
The 3 key takeaways (if you only have 60 seconds):
- The global AI market is set to exceed $500 billion by 2028, quadrupling since 2023.
- In 2025, 245,000 jobs were cut in the global tech industry. No job is truly “safe” anymore.
- 758,600 micro-businesses were created in France in 2025 — a historic record. The tools to get started have never been more accessible.
Why 2026 Feels Like 1995 — But Faster
I’ve been living in South America since 2017. I teach in the mornings and build digital assets in the afternoons. It’s not luxury—it’s smart survival.
And what I see from my desk looks like something I’ve read about in Internet history books: that apparent calm before everything changes.
Some numbers that don’t lie:
- The generative AI market could reach $100 billion by 2028, up from $8 billion in 2023 — a 65% annual growth rate.
- In France, AI startups raised €1.4 billion in 2024, compared to €556 million in 2018.
- 55% of French VSEs and SMEs were already using generative AI by the end of 2025, compared to 15% a year earlier (Bpifrance).
- On Malt, generative AI projects have surged by +250% in one year.
The window is open. But it won’t stay open forever.
The 6 Signals You Have No Right to Ignore
Here are 6 concrete reasons why now is different from anything we’ve seen since the early days of the Internet. No hype. Just facts.
1. Mobile apps finally do real things
We’ve gone from “tap to see” to “tap to do.”
Today, a consultant can build an app that books a flight, drafts a contract, follows up with a prospect, or negotiates a rate — without writing a single line of code. That wasn’t possible in 2017. And the development cost? Divided by 100 compared to back then.
For you, seasoned professionals with solid industry expertise, this is a game-changer. Your know-how combined with these tools gives you a real competitive edge over young developers without hands-on experience.
What this actually changes:
- Create a business tool for your industry (HR, real estate, consulting) without a developer budget
- Automate your own customer processes before selling them to others
- Go from idea to prototype in 48 hours
2. Hardware is back — and it’s historic
You can now run AI models like Gemma 4 or DeepSeek on a physical device that costs less than a restaurant meal. Locally. No cloud. No monthly subscription.
The last time hardware was this accessible was during the era of the first smartphone. And that window created a trillion-dollar app economy from scratch.
Practical applications for a solopreneur:
- A physical assistant for a medical or legal practice
- A diagnostic tool for maintenance technicians
- A sales enablement tool for field sales representatives
3. Every sector can be rebuilt from scratch
The big players know it. And that’s exactly why they’re paralyzed.
A large group can’t afford to tear down its own product. You can.
In 2025, 55% of SMBs were already using generative AI. But the majority of these uses remain basic: summaries, emails, presentations. No one has yet rebuilt the business verticals in depth. That’s where the opportunity lies.
| Sector | What exists | What’s still missing |
|---|---|---|
| HR | Resume screening chatbots | Full onboarding agents |
| Real Estate | AI estimators | End-to-end AI negotiators |
| Training | Quiz generators | Adaptive tutoring systems |
| Accounting | Invoice OCR | Automated tax advisory |
| Consulting | Document research | Automated client deliverables |
4. Distribution is almost free
The old rule: raise funds → hire a sales team → buy ads → hope.
The new rule: build a working demo → post it on LinkedIn, YouTube, or X → get your first 100 clients in the comments.
Me, with three kids, a morning job, and a decent internet connection in Colombia, I built an engaged French-speaking audience. If I can do it, you can do it. The demand for expert content is real — and generative AI projects on Malt have grown by +250% in one year.
5. Layoffs send you a very clear signal
In 2025, 245,000 jobs were cut in the global tech industry. Amazon: 14,000 roles directly tied to AI. Salesforce halved its customer service team. IBM eliminated 9,000 automated HR positions. Meta just announced an additional 8,000 layoffs in April 2026, representing 10% of its workforce.
This is not a crisis. It’s a permanent restructuring.
No job is secure if you don’t adapt. Building a side project today means building your Plan B before you need it. And sometimes, Plan B becomes Plan A.
6. The entire economy is being repriced
The tools to build are free or nearly free. The models are open source. The distribution platforms are free. The starting capital has never been this low.
While big companies are holding meetings about their “AI strategy,” you could have already shipped your first product.
What I observe in successful professionals:
- They use their existing expertise as a foundation, not a limitation
- They start small, document, iterate
- They don’t wait until they understand everything to get started
Top 3 Concrete Opportunities for an Experienced Professional
Here is my personal ranking, based on what I see working in 2026 for professionals with real business expertise:
🥇 #1 — Vertical business AI agents
Build an agent specialized in your field (HR, finance, training, real estate). Not a generic chatbot: a tool that speaks your industry’s vocabulary and solves a specific problem. This is where a 45-year-old pro’s expertise beats a 25-year-old beginner’s enthusiasm.
🥈 #2 — AI-Augmented Expert Content
Niche site, newsletter, YouTube channel — built with AI as a co-pilot. Less production time, more consistency, better quality. The demand for expert profiles capable of using AI is real and well-documented.
🥉 #3 — AI training and coaching
You know your trade. You’re starting to master AI tools. Teaching this combination to other professionals is a massive market: AI adoption in small and medium businesses went from 15% to 55% in one year. The demand for training follows the same curve.
Before AI vs With AI for the Experienced Solopreneur
| Dimension | Before AI (2020) | With AI (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Creating a digital product | 3 to 6 months, developer budget | 2 to 4 weeks, nearly code-free |
| Writing content | 3 to 4 hours per article | 30 minutes with a solid workflow |
| Landing your first 100 customers | Ad budget or physical network | Public demo + social media |
| Automating repetitive tasks | Impossible or costly | AI agents accessible to everyone |
| Competing with large companies | Nearly impossible alone | Big players’ paralysis = your advantage |
Questions you’re asking (and my honest answers)
Do I have to quit everything to start an AI business?
No. I’m not advising you to quit on Monday morning. The beauty of the current moment is that the tools are so accessible that you can build something serious by working 1 to 2 hours a day. That’s exactly what I do: teacher in the morning, entrepreneur in the afternoon. Side project first, leap later — if and when you decide to take it.
I don’t have any technical skills. Is that a problem?
Less than ever. What you need is business expertise (which you have), a real understanding of a customer problem (which you also have), and a minimum of methodology. The technical side? AI helps you work around it.
Where do you actually start?
My Pareto approach (20% effort, 80% results):
- Identify a problem you already solve in your profession
- Ask yourself if AI can help solve it faster or for more people
- Create a zero version in 48 hours with no-code and AI tools
- Show it to 5 people in your network
- Iterate without waiting for perfection
Isn’t it too late? The big players have already built everything, right?
It’s actually the opposite. Large companies are paralyzed by the size of their infrastructure. They can’t pivot quickly. You can. And while 55% of SMBs use AI, very few have truly useful vertical tools in their industry. The market is there.
What if I fail?
That’s a real question, and I prefer honesty over hype. Not everyone will win. But here’s what I know: the skills you’ll develop by trying — understanding AI, creating a product, building an audience — are the most in-demand in 2026. Even if the first project doesn’t take off, you’re not wasting your time.
My Sherpa advice: don’t just watch, build
I won’t tell you it’s easy. I won’t promise you millions.
I’m telling you, the window is open right now. Tools have never been more accessible. Your expertise and professional experience are an asset, not a liability.
The last time an opportunity of this magnitude came along, it was the internet itself. Before that, electricity. Moments like this are rare.
My recommendation: start by downloading my PDF guide “ChatGPT, Gemini & Claude 2026” to get started with the right method, the right tools, and a tested workflow. No useless theory. Just practical stuff.
👉 Download the free guide
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