In a series of candid interviews in early January 2026, billionaire entrepreneur and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban issued a stark warning to the global business community. Cuban asserts that we have entered a period of an “AI Divide” that will fundamentally separate the corporate winners from those destined for obsolescence.
According to Cuban, the middle ground is disappearing. Businesses that fail to master artificial intelligence won’t just lag behind—they will cease to exist.
“There are going to be two types of companies in the future: those who are great at AI, and those who used to be in business.” — Mark Cuban
The Paradox: Why Cuban Calls AI “Stupid”
Despite his urgent call for adoption, Cuban offers a unique and grounded perspective on the current state of the technology. He describes AI as both “stupid” and “essential,” a duality that business leaders must understand to succeed.
The “Savant” Effect
Cuban likens current AI models to a “savant that remembers everything.” While AI lacks common sense and is prone to confident errors (hallucinations), its ability to process, store, and retrieve vast amounts of data is superhuman.
- The Strength: Unmatched memory and data synthesis.
- The Weakness: A lack of critical judgment and a tendency to “make things up” with high confidence.
The “AI Divide” will be defined by which leaders can provide the human oversight necessary to turn this “stupid savant” into a strategic powerhouse.
3 Critical Warnings for Business Leaders in 2026
Cuban’s warning isn’t just a general forecast; it includes specific tactical advice for CEOs and small business owners navigating the 2026 landscape.
1. Stop Treating AI Tools as Interchangeable
Many businesses make the mistake of thinking “AI is AI.” Cuban emphasizes that every model—from Gemini 3 to Claude 4 and OpenAI Operator—has distinct nuances, strengths, and failure points. Treating them as a “one-size-fits-all” solution is a recipe for costly distractions.
2. Protect Your Intellectual Property (IP)
A major risk of the AI era is the accidental leaking of proprietary data. Cuban warns that “data is the new gold,” and businesses that indiscriminately feed their private work into public-facing chatbots are essentially giving away their competitive advantage to web-scraping models.
3. The Shift to “Agentic” Workflows
By 2026, simply using a chatbot is no longer enough. Cuban highlights the rise of AI Agents (like Anthropic’s “Cowork”) that can perform autonomous tasks. He urges small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to hire young talent who understand how to implement these agents to automate mundane processes.
The Opportunity for Small Businesses
While large corporations have massive IT budgets for AI, Cuban believes the AI Divide offers a rare chance for small businesses to level the playing field.
| Business Size | Current Status | Cuban’s Advice |
| Big Tech / Enterprise | Overspending on models; massive teams. | Focus on specialized, efficient fine-tuning. |
| Small & Mid-Sized | Lagging in adoption; lack of resources. | Hire AI-native grads to automate workflows immediately. |
Cuban argues that for a small business, a single “AI-savvy” recent graduate can often provide more value than a traditional 10-person department by using agentic AI to drive efficiency.
Conclusion: The 5-Year Horizon
Cuban predicts that within the next five years, fluency in AI will be as foundational as knowing how to use email or a spreadsheet. The companies that thrive will be those that view AI not as a magic fix, but as a transformative tool that requires constant learning and human governance.
