AI Tools Are Cheap Now… But That’s About to Change. What Agencies Need to Know

Smart Agency Masterclass with Jason Swenk: Podcast for Digital Marketing Agencies

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Let’s get real.

If you’re stacking your agency’s foundation on $20/month AI tools, congrats—you’re in the honeymoon phase. But don’t confuse cheap for stable. This ain’t gonna last.

We’re in the Uber moment of AI. Remember those $3 rides in 2015? Promo codes flying like candy? Everyone thought, “This is amazing.” Then BOOM—same ride today costs $30, and you don’t blink. Why? Because they normalized the spend.

AI is doing the same damn thing right now.

The Calm Before the Price Surge

I was chatting with an agency owner the other week—four-person team doing the work of twenty. She’s saving close to $800K in salary using AI. Impressive? Hell yeah. But also? Fragile.

Because when AI replaces two full-time employees, it’s not going to stay cheaper than lunch forever. These platforms are buying loyalty today so they can raise rates tomorrow. And when they do, the agencies who built real systems will survive while the rest scrambles.

Automation Without Documentation = Fragile AF

Here’s the trap I see all over the place:

Agencies getting lean and mean with automation… but not documenting jack.

So when a tool changes, prices spike, or a platform shifts—what happens?

They’re rebuilding from scratch. Again.

Smart operators are using AI to build leverage, not just save time. And they’re documenting the whole playbook outside the tools. Prompts. Logic. Decisions. Workflows. Everything. Because they know when OpenAI changes the rules (and they will), they’ll just pivot—without panic.

3-Phase AI Survival Plan (That Actually Makes You Money) Phase 1: Audit + Adapt

• List every AI tool you use.

• Ask: “If this cost 10x tomorrow, what breaks?”

• Document your workflows without AI.

Don’t skip this. You’re looking for landmines now, so you’re not surprised later.

Phase 2: Build AI-Augmented IP

• Productize one service using AI—but don’t lean on it 100%.

• Build templates based on your brain, not just the bot’s.

• Train your agents and save the training outside the tool.

Think like a software company, not a freelancer with ChatGPT.

Phase 3: Future-Proof Your Value

• Sharpen your skills. AI is smart, but notstrategic.

• Build one offer that works with zero automation.

• Stay close to smart operators. This is a gold rush. Don’t go it solo.

This Isn’t Anti-AI. It’s Pro-Sanity.

AI is a tool. It’s not your team. It’s not your strategy. And it’s definitely not your moat.

Use it. Document it. But don’t depend on it.

Because when the rules change—and they will—the agencies that built real systems and resilient IP will still be standing.

Want a plan to build smarter leverage in your agency?

Check out the Agency Playbook. It’s the 8-system framework we’ve used to help agency owners like Derek Champagne scale from 7- to 8-figures in under a year.