Kevin O’Leary: AI Is Crucial for Cost-Efficient Customer Acquisition and Global Tech Leadership

In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, investor and television personality Kevin O’Leary shared his insights on how artificial intelligence (AI) is dramatically lowering the cost of acquiring new customers. According to O’Leary, new customer acquisition, primarily driven by content creation and multimedia marketing, has been one of the highest cost increases over the past few years.

“Over the last 36 months, the cost of creating content has more than quadrupled—sometimes it’s even 10 times higher than before,” O’Leary explained. However, he noted that AI is changing the game by reducing content production costs by up to 60%. This, in turn, allows companies to stretch their marketing budgets further and increase efficiency in customer acquisition.

Before committing to any new investments, O’Leary now prioritizes a company’s AI strategy. He stated that his first question to a prospective business is about who runs their AI program and what tools they are using. “Before I meet the CEO, I want to know who is running the show in terms of generating and maintaining customer acquisition, customer growth, reducing customer acquisition cost, and increasing ROI on ad spend,” he explained.

For O’Leary, companies that fail to incorporate AI into their customer acquisition strategy aren’t worth his investment. As AI continues to drive down costs and boost business efficiency, companies that neglect to leverage AI are at a significant disadvantage, according to the investor.

AI’s Geo-Strategic Importance and US Leadership
While O’Leary recognizes AI’s cost-saving potential, he also emphasizes the geo-strategic importance of the technology. “The need to maintain US leadership in AI is critical,” he said. This perspective ties into broader discussions on how AI and its underlying infrastructure are becoming integral to global power dynamics.

For O’Leary, AI’s influence goes beyond simple cost reductions—it is a competitive advantage that determines the future of industries worldwide. The ability to harness cutting-edge AI technology is seen as crucial for maintaining global dominance in technology and innovation.

O’Leary’s commitment to AI-driven infrastructure extends to his investments. He is also an investor in Bitzero, a Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing company with data centers located in Norway, Finland, and North Dakota. According to O’Leary, owning the infrastructure behind Bitcoin and AI could prove to be a more sustainable and profitable business model than focusing on the businesses that rely on this infrastructure.

“It’s the old analogy from the gold rush days. The guys who made the most money with the least risk were the ones selling the jeans, picks, and shovels,” O’Leary said. By investing in the infrastructure itself, such as data centers for Bitcoin mining and AI operations, investors stand to profit from the technological foundations that underpin numerous industries.

The AI Cold War: US vs. China
O’Leary also raised concerns about the growing technological rivalry between the US and China, particularly in the realm of AI. He described the global tech competition as a “cold war” and compared AI chips to the queen bee in a bee colony, with developers and programmers acting as the worker bees.

“The developers gather around these new AI chips and produce the ‘honey’—the computer code,” O’Leary explained. However, he believes that by limiting the use of US-made AI chips through sanctions and trade restrictions, China and other nations are able to develop their own chipsets and AI architectures. This could ultimately shift the global AI development landscape in their favor.

O’Leary’s view highlights the importance of maintaining access to cutting-edge AI hardware, which he believes is critical for the US to retain its leadership in the field. “Limiting access to our chips allows competing nations to proliferate their own architectures, potentially steering AI development in directions that could undermine US dominance,” he concluded.

O’Leary’s remarks underscore AI’s central role in the future of business and geopolitics. Whether in terms of reducing operational costs for companies or driving innovation at the geopolitical level, AI is seen as a critical asset in both the business world and on the global stage. As AI continues to evolve, businesses that fail to incorporate it into their strategies risk being left behind, while those that invest in its infrastructure and capabilities are positioned to thrive in an increasingly tech-driven world.

For investors, the message is clear: AI isn’t just a tool for business efficiency—it’s the future of competitive advantage.