The End of the Expert? How AI is Flattening Authority - and What Comes After

Once upon a time, being an expert meant something. It meant years of study. Repetition. Certification. It meant experience—layered, tested, lived. But now?

- Abhishek Anand

A well-crafted prompt can generate a brand strategy, a business model, a medical report, or a legal disclaimer. In under 10 seconds. So here's the question we're all silently circling around:

If everyone has access to the same powerful AI—who do we trust? Who should we listen to? And what does it mean to be an expert in a world where the tools have leveled the field?

Because whether we admit it or not, we're living through the slow collapse of traditional authority—and the rise of something stranger, more decentralized, and potentially more powerful.

The Democratization of Intelligence

AI has democratized access to information. You no longer need a PhD to sound like a PhD. No need to attend top business schools to write a strategic plan. No years of design school to build a decent UI prototype.

With the right prompts, you can simulate mastery. This shift has done something remarkable: It's flattened the hierarchy of knowledge. And for the most part—it's a good thing.

It opens the gates to people who were once locked out by geography, education, or cost. But it also creates a new dilemma. If everyone sounds like an expert, how do we spot real ones?

Authority Used to Be Earned. Now, it's Engineered.

Traditionally, we trusted people based on credentials—degrees, years in the field, professional associations. But today?

• A 23-year-old with smart AI tools and storytelling skills can outperform a 45-year-old consultant in client perception.