Look, I’m not here to sugarcoat this for you.
AI is replacing service providers left and right in 2026, and if you’re offering one of these five services, you could be next.
But before you panic and think this is some doom-and-gloom situation, let me be clear: I’m not here to fear-monger. I’m here to give you a wake-up call so you can pivot NOW instead of getting to the end of 2026 frustrated with your lack of clients, lack of growth, and wondering if you should have even started this business in the first place.
After working with over 3,000 service providers, I’ve seen this shift happening in real time. I’ve watched podcast managers get replaced. I’ve seen copywriters who used to charge $20,000 now struggling to land $2,000 clients. I’ve watched VAs lose their entire roster because clients figured out ChatGPT can do 80% of what they were paying them for.
The industry is changing, y’all. And we need to change with it.
Here’s what we’re covering today: the five services getting hit the hardest by AI, real examples of how this is playing out right now, and most importantly, the exact pivot you need to make to stay relevant and charge premium prices.
This might sting a little, but I promise I’m giving you a path forward—not just telling you the sky is falling.
What’s Really Happening Behind the Scenes in Million-Dollar Businesses
Let me pull back the curtain for you.
I hang out with a lot of people running million-dollar and high six-figure businesses. I also work one-on-one with 60 service providers inside Strategist Society and over 800 ad managers inside Conversions for Clients. This means I’m in a LOT of people’s businesses on both sides—the service provider side and the business owner side.
Here’s what I’m seeing from the business owner perspective: they’re cutting down on team members and replacing them with AI.
But here’s the thing—they’re also still making hires. They’re just making more strategic hires. It’s not because they don’t value people or because they’re being cheap. It’s because the barrier to entry for execution has dropped to almost zero.
If you’re doing basic VA-level tasks, you can be replaced very easily with AI. Things that used to take specialized knowledge and hours of time? We can do them in minutes now. And clients are figuring that out.
We’re seeing this happen especially fast in copywriting and graphic design. Things like Canva, Photoshop, and Lightroom have advanced so much that basic users can now do what they used to pay specialists thousands for. You can create amazing graphics inside Gemini. There are AI graphic platforms like Playground making incredible visuals. Tools like Descript have made podcast and YouTube editing ridiculously easy.
These things that used to be specialized knowledge? AI has figured out how to do them quickly.
So if your value proposition is “I can do this task for you,” you’re in trouble. That’s not valuable anymore—anyone can do many of these tasks.
What IS valuable? Knowing which tasks to do, knowing how to use those tasks to get results, and having a strategic brain to lead clients where they need to go.
That’s the shift we’re making in 2026.
Service #1: Podcast Management Is Getting Replaced by AI Tools
This one breaks my heart because we used to pay someone to manage our podcast. We loved her. She launched the podcast, stayed with us for years, and she’s still one of my favorite people today.
But here’s the truth: Descript and ChatGPT mean that Janessa and I can now take a podcast episode from recording to published in 45 minutes.
That includes editing (using Descript), show notes, social media clips, transcripts, blog posts, and SEO data. The only things that need human involvement are me editing through Descript (which takes about half the length of the episode) and Janessa uploading to our blog.
Something that used to take our podcast manager three hours? We can do it in 45 minutes now—and get an almost better result.
I’m not saying that lightly. I’ve known at least 15 of my friends who have replaced their podcast manager with AI tools. This is one of the biggest areas I’ve seen people get replaced, except for copywriters (which we’ll talk about).
The Podcast Manager Pivot: Become a Podcast Strategist
If you’re a podcast manager and you want to charge high-ticket prices while continuing to scale your business, you have to position yourself differently.
You’re not just an editor. You’re not just a manager. You’re a podcast strategist.
This means you’re:
- Helping them get brand deals and sponsored episodes
- Strategizing audience growth, not just getting episodes published
- Analyzing which topics convert to actual clients
- Helping them monetize the podcast, not just produce it
- Being strategic about how the podcast aligns with their overall business goals
Production is cheap. Strategy execution is expensive. Which one are you selling?
Service #2: Virtual Assistants Are Being Replaced Left and Right
If you’re doing basic email management, calendar scheduling, data entry, or basic social media posting, you are being replaced.
AI can sort emails. Calendars have so much AI built into them now. ChatGPT can draft responses. Canva has AI built in to create social posts. You can literally create entire websites in minutes with AI. Whole PowerPoint presentations, too.
If you are a generalist VA, you can be replaced very, very quickly with AI.
But here’s what AI can’t do: It can’t run a business. It can’t make strategic decisions. It can’t understand the nuances of your client’s specific situation and business.
The VA Pivot: Become a Strategic Operations Manager
If you’re a general VA, you need to become something more strategic. Options include:
- Strategic operations manager
- Business manager
- Launch strategist
- Marketing manager (if you know marketing)
- Fractional CMO
- Growth partner
You cannot just be a virtual assistant and think that’s going to last in 2026.
This pivot means you’re:
- Looking at the business holistically and identifying bottlenecks
- Implementing systems, not just following them
- Making decisions, not taking orders
- Managing projects and people, not just tasks
OBMs already know how to run a business—y’all are geniuses. But even OBMs are being pushed to evolve. The next logical step is becoming a marketing partner or growth partner, and you’re going to get paid way more because there are numbers like ROAS directly tied to your position.
When people can see that they spend money on you and then you make the company money back, you’re going to stay longer. That’s what it’s coming down to in 2026.
The more you can show “here’s how much you pay me, but here’s how much I bring your business,” the longer you will stay. You’re not getting replaced. But VAs who are just checking off boxes on a list? You’re in the danger zone.
Service #3: Copywriters Have Been Hit the Hardest
Y’all, I feel for you. Like, I feel HARD for you. This has been the most brutal industry shift to watch.
I have friends who teach copywriting, who have certifications in copywriting—they’ve literally shut those businesses down because the industry has been hit so hard.
ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini got SO good at writing copy. Like, really good—especially if you know how to prompt it.
Here’s the brutal truth: We paid $5,000 for a voice guide several years ago (in 2020 or 2021). Now I can create a better voice guide in about 10 minutes with a great prompt, and it costs me $20 for the month.
Even when AI puts out garbage (which it often does), clients don’t know the difference. They’re not conversion copywriters, so they think they’re getting good copy even if it’s not. They just know they get words on a page for $20 a month instead of paying $20K for a project.
Copywriters have been hit the hardest. That’s the plain, simple truth.
The Copywriter Pivot: Become a Messaging Strategist and Conversion Expert
But here’s the thing, if you know how to write copy and you’re good with words, you have such an amazing skill. That doesn’t mean give up. You just can’t be only a writer anymore.
You need to be a messaging strategist and conversion expert.
This means you’re:
- Doing deep customer research that AI can get surface-level, but can’t replicate
- Understanding psychology and persuasion principles
- Testing and optimizing for conversions, not just writing pretty words
- Positioning the entire brand, not just cranking out content
The writing is the easy part now. The thinking is what you charge for.
You need to get good at positioning yourself as a conversion specialist, not just a copywriter. At the end of the day, a business’s message is more important than their ads—because if you put out ads with crappy messaging, it’s not going to convert.
Clients don’t know that. You have to come in positioning yourself as a conversion expert, not just a copywriter.
Service #4: Basic Graphic Design Is Being Replaced by Canva AI
If you’re designing social media graphics, basic logos, or simple templates, Canva AI is coming for you. Actually, it’s already here.
I’ve seen people pump out entire brand identities using AI tools in hours. They’re not always as good as a brand specialist, but they’re good enough for most clients.
The Graphic Designer Pivot: Become a Brand Strategist
Want to stay relevant? Want to continue getting paid as a graphic designer? You need to become a brand strategist or creative director.
This means you’re:
- Developing the entire visual identity and brand strategy
- Creating custom, original work that stands out in a sea of AI-generated sameness
- Understanding brand psychology and consumer behavior
- Directing the creative vision, not just executing design tasks
Here’s the thing: You have to stop talking to new businesses. Those are not the people who are going to hire you. Those are the people who are going to double down on AI.
Talk to luxury businesses. Talk to established ones that don’t want some AI-generated stuff.
Get good at doing AI-branded photo shoots. If you can take someone’s photo and do a whole branding shoot for them, that’s something that can be really appealing. Maybe you pivot from just graphic design to AI videos.
There’s always a pivot, but we have to think bigger. Use AI as a tool to expand what you offer when a lot of people can’t do that type of stuff.
AI can make things look pretty. It can’t make strategic decisions about how a brand should show up and convert ideal clients. You have to change your positioning.
Service #5: Social Media Managers Who Just Post Content
If you’re just creating and scheduling social media posts, you will be replaced.
AI can generate captions. It can create content calendars. It can analyze what times to post.
But here’s what it can’t do: It can’t build community. It can’t engage authentically. It can’t understand the nuances of brand voice. It can’t respond to crisis situations or make strategic pivots based on what’s working.
The Social Media Manager Pivot: Become a Social Media Strategist and Community Manager
You need to become a social media strategist and community manager.
This means you’re:
- Building engagement and community, not just posting content
- Developing content strategies that align with business goals
- Reaching out for user-generated content and managing UGC creators
- Analyzing what content drives actual sales, not just likes and follows
- Managing brand reputation and customer relationships
One of my favorite accounts is Aldi (the grocery store) and Tampa International Airport. If you don’t follow TPA, they have the best social media managers on the planet. They drive community, they drive engagement. They’re funny, entertaining—it’s SO good. People want to follow them just because. I saw a comment that said, “I want to find a reason to fly to Tampa just because your social media is so good.”
That’s what you want to be able to do as a social media strategist—create that community.
Content creation is cheap. Just putting out content for the sake of putting out content isn’t going to cut it. Community building and strategic social selling? That’s what’s expensive. That’s what’s going to get you paid going into 2026.
The Pattern You Need to See in All Five Pivots
Did you notice the pattern in all five of these services?
Every single pivot I gave you has the same element: You’re moving from doing to leading. From execution to strategy. From task-based to transformation-based.
Here’s what I need you to understand: If your output can be replicated by a prompt, your pricing power is racing to zero.
But if your value is in the thinking, the strategy, the decisions, the human insights, you become irreplaceable.
A Real Example From My Own Life
Let me give you a real example that happened in my life.
I spent over $20,000 on health coaching and got okay results. $20,000, y’all.
Then, four months ago, I replaced my coach with AI. And guess what? I’m more consistent. I’m getting better results. And I have a plan that I’m actually sticking to because it’s customized for what’s going on each week in my life. It’s customized to meals that fit my family, too, so I don’t have to recreate recipes. It’s customized based on my work schedule. It takes a more holistic approach to what’s going on in my life and all my data points—not just ones that a coach asks at our weekly meeting.
I didn’t need someone to motivate me. I have internal motivation. What I needed was information and a plan that pivoted each week based on what was going on with my family, my schedule, and work. AI could do that for me.
But you know what AI can’t replace in my life? My business coach.
He doesn’t just give me information. He asks me questions I didn’t even know I needed to ask myself. He sees blind spots I can’t see. He understands the emotional side of building a business and how I need my family to be first. I’m in a group setting where other people are having situations in their business, and I’m like, “Oh, I didn’t even think about that.” Or they’re doing things where I’m like, “Oh, that would actually work for me.”
That’s irreplaceable. Having someone who asks questions, who can get deeper, who’s been there (really there, not just AI there), and being with a group of people experiencing similar things—that I can learn from, who ask questions I didn’t even realize I should be asking.
The same thing happens with your business. What can be replaced? And how do you become irreplaceable?
Your Action Steps for This Week
Whether you’re in one of those five categories or not, this is a really good exercise:
1. Audit Your Current Services Brutally
Can AI do 80% of what you charge for? If so, you need to pivot.
2. Add the Strategy Layer
Before you touch any deliverable, you should be doing an audit, making recommendations, and presenting a roadmap. That is what you can charge a premium price for, the actual strategy, not the doing.
Then we can let AI help us do what our clients are paying us for, which means we work less and make more.
3. Reposition Your Messaging
Stop saying “I manage podcasts” or “I write copy.”
Start saying: “I help [specific person] achieve [specific outcome] through [your method].”
The execution can be AI-assisted, but the strategy? That’s all you, my friend.
If you’re thinking, “Okay, Brandi, I hear you. I need to make the pivot, but I don’t know how to restructure my offers or reposition myself or add that strategy layer,” that is exactly what we do in Strategist Society. We help you make the transition from doer to strategist. We help you restructure your packages, rewrite your messaging, and step into premium positioning so you can charge premium prices while working less.
Head to thestrategistsociety.com and apply for a Strategist Success Audit with me. We’ll look at exactly where you are now and map out the pivot you need to make.
This Is Actually the Best Time to Be in the Service Industry
I know this episode has been heavy, but here’s what I want you to hear:
This is actually the best time to be in the service industry if you’re willing to evolve and pivot.
While everyone else is panicking about AI and saying doom and gloom (“Oh my gosh, it’s going to take all of our jobs”), you can be stepping into the strategist era and charging more than you’ve ever been able to charge before.
One of my Strategist Society members, Ashley, made this pivot. She went from running ads to positioning herself as a growth strategist who uses ads as a vehicle. She now has VIP days, done-with-you intensives, and retainer clients, and she’s booked out.
Another member, Mandy, went from hourly VA-type work in tech (even if she was charging a lot per hour) to repositioning herself as a growth strategist. Now she’s landing clients for over $12,000 per month, and she’s working a whole lot less. She actually had to find some hobbies because work doesn’t fill all of her time anymore.
The opportunity is massive, my friends. But only if you’re willing to make the shift.
Don’t wait to make the shift until you lose your clients to AI. Make the pivot NOW while you still have breathing room to do it strategically.
Because I promise you, the clients who can pay premium prices aren’t looking for more doers, box-checkers, or to-do list completers. They’re looking for leaders. They’re looking for strategists. They’re looking for growth partners.
Become that person. Step into that identity now.
Listen, I’m not here to scare you. I’m here to prepare you. The service providers who make this shift are about to have their best freaking year ever. The ones who don’t? They may struggle.
You get to choose which side of that you’re on.
Want more strategies for scaling your service-based business? This post is based on an episode of the Serve Scale Soar podcast, where we talk about building a profitable, scalable business without the hustle. Listen to new episodes every week!
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Meet Brandi
Brandi Mowles is the host of the Serve Scale Soar® podcast which is a podcast dedicated to helping service-based entrepreneurs scale their online business to five-figure months so they can soar into six-figure years. Brandi is a wife, mom and in less than one year, created a six-figure business. Now she is spilling all her secrets so you can too.
