223: The Future of Courses: What AI Means for Digital Product Creators
AI Isn’t Replacing Course Creators—It’s Redefining Our Role
I’ve been hearing it a lot lately: “What does AI mean for my digital product business?” If you’ve been feeling frozen in fear about AI’s impact on the course and membership industry, you’re not alone—and this episode is for you.
Today, I’m opening up about how I’ve personally shifted my business to not just adapt to AI but thrive alongside it. I walk through the big changes I’ve made, like moving from static courses to dynamic memberships, and why I believe “access” and “implementation” are the keys to staying relevant in an AI-enhanced world.
I’ll also share the specific strategies I’ve built into my offers—from live monthly workshops to AI-powered tools inside my memberships—to keep content fresh, focused, and hyper-supportive for my students.
What You’ll Learn:
Why the course industry is moving beyond just “information”
How I’ve pivoted from static courses to dynamic memberships
What today’s digital product buyers are really looking for
Real examples of how I integrate AI into my programs (without losing the human touch)
How to use live workshops, private podcasts, and built-in AI tools to deliver transformation
Why focused, results-driven courses still have a place—and when they work best
Three questions to ask as you adapt your business for the AI era
Whether you’re curious, cautious, or ready to jump in with both feet, this episode will give you a grounded look at how to evolve your digital product business in a way that’s sustainable, supportive, and smart. I’d love to hear how you’re adapting—reach out to me on LinkedIn or reply to any of my emails!
🎧 Tap play and let’s get into it.
Mentioned in this episode:
AI Isn’t Replacing Course Creators—It’s Redefining Our Role
I’ve been hearing it more and more: “How do I pivot my digital product business in a world of AI?” Maybe you’ve asked that question yourself. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or even a little frozen in fear about what artificial intelligence means for your courses, memberships, and offers—you’re not alone. And I’m right there with you.
Over the last 18 months, I’ve made some big changes in my business. Not out of panic, but with strategy. In today’s world, AI is speeding up the way we work, yes—but it’s also reshaping what people value. And for digital product creators like us, that means it’s time to evolve. In this post, I want to share how I’ve shifted my business model, what’s working, and how you can make confident moves too.
Why AI Changed the Way People Learn Online
When ChatGPT first launched, I noticed something almost immediately. People weren’t just curious—they were relying on it. But they were also craving something else: real, human support.
AI can answer questions, generate ideas, and save time—but it can’t replace your judgment, your experience, or your personalized advice. That’s why I saw a major shift away from low-cost, static courses and a move toward connection, customization, and access to the expert. In other words, people want you—not just your templates.
My Pivot: From Static Courses to Dynamic Memberships
About a year ago, I restructured my entire offer suite. Instead of focusing on self-paced courses alone, I leaned into building memberships and done-with-you experiences across my brands.
Why? Because course content can quickly become outdated—especially in the fast-moving AI space. What worked six months ago might not work today. My members needed real-time guidance, not just pre-recorded lessons. They needed a path to implementation, with flexibility to ask questions, get feedback, and stay on track.
So I created an offer structure that includes:
Live Monthly Workshops: Tailored to member needs, focused on implementation, and integrated with current AI tools.
Members-Only Private Podcast Feed: I answer real questions submitted by members—on-demand mentoring in their ears.
Built-In AI Tools: Inside every membership, we use custom AI bots for things like mindset coaching, newsletter writing, product planning, and more.
This approach gives people what they truly need: access, accountability, and faster results—without the overwhelm.
No, Courses Aren’t Dead (But They Must Be Strategic)
Let me be clear: I still believe in self-paced digital courses. I still buy them myself! But the ones that work today solve a very specific problem, offer a quick win, and are easy to implement.
For example, I recently purchased a course to help me set up a better tracking system for my memberships using Airtable. I didn’t need access to the instructor—I just needed the steps. These kinds of trainings absolutely have a place in your product suite. Just be sure they’re results-focused and highly targeted.
How to Future-Proof Your Digital Product Business
So, what do you do now? If you’re looking to pivot or evolve your offers, here are a few guiding questions I asked myself—and ones I encourage you to ask too:
How can I give people more access to me?
This doesn’t mean burning out or being available 24/7. It means thoughtful access—like office hours, private feeds, or targeted Q&A sessions.How can I use AI to help them get faster results?
Build in AI assistance that complements your human support. Think automation for repetitive tasks, not connection.How can I shift from delivering information to delivering transformation?
Focus on implementation and outcomes. Don’t just teach—guide, support, and help them do.
You’re Not Being Replaced—You’re Being Repositioned
Here’s what I believe with all my heart: AI isn’t here to replace creators. It’s here to help us scale smarter, serve better, and focus on what only we can do. Your brain, your judgment, your empathy—that’s irreplaceable.
So if you’ve been feeling stuck, I encourage you to lean in. Adapt. Evolve. And above all, keep showing up for your people in ways only you can.
If you’re not already on the Creator’s MBA newsletter, now’s the perfect time to join. I’m sharing more behind-the-scenes strategies for thriving in the AI era—without burnout.
Until next time, keep creating, keep leading, and keep growing your digital product business.
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Welcome to the Creator's MBA podcast, your go-to resource for mastering the art and science of digital product entrepreneurship. My name is Dr. Destini Copp and I help business owners generate consistent revenue from their digital product business without the need to be glued to their desk. Constantly live, launching or worrying about the social media algorithms.
I hope you enjoy our episode today.
Hey there friends, Destini Copp here, and welcome back to another episode of the Creators MBA podcast, the show where we talk about all things, digital products, marketing, and building a sustainable business in the creator economy. And today's episode is inspired by, heartful thoughtful question that I saw [00:01:00] online that I think a lot of you can probably relate to.
And the question is, how do you think AI will change the industry of courses and digital products? What are you doing to shift. Pivot and embrace so that your business thrives in a world of ai. I've been feeling a bit frozen in fear about ai, and I'd love to hear your perspectives. So first of all, I loved this question and I have been hearing it from several others and filling it from so many of you.
So I wanted to take today's episode to share what I'm seeing, how I have personally adopted and what's working in my business right now. Alright, so let's start here. I would say about a year and a half ago, I noticed a massive shift. [00:02:00] Happening in our industry especially in the way people consume and pay for content.
And I would say that yes, AI played a big part in that. There has been a move away from static information only courses and low cost digital products, and more of a desire for connection. Customization, but most importantly. Access to the expert. So in a world where AI can answer like basic questions, people are craving that real support.
So they want ongoing access to an expert like you. They want personalized answers to their specific situation. They want guidance, not just templates. They want someone to say, here's what I would do and why, [00:03:00] and this is why done with you. Models and memberships are thriving right now. And it's exactly how I personally pivoted in my own business model.
So a little over a year ago, I completely restructured my offers. So I moved away from focusing on static courses that don't change, and focused on building membership models across my brands. And here's the reason why. I saw that the industry was changing fast and a lot of my course content simply couldn't just keep up with that, especially in the AI space.
So what work six months ago? Might be outdated today, and I wanted a way to help my clients stay [00:04:00] on top of everything, and more importantly, have access to me when they needed support beyond what AI can give them. My students and clients, they're already using ai. I will get messages like, here's what chat GPT said, what do you think?
And sometimes I'll say, you know what? I think that's spot on. But other times I'll say. I would approach this and look at this differently, and here's why. And here are some things that you need to think about for your own business, and that is not something a prerecorded course can do. Let me give you a little sneak peek behind the curtain and the structure that has been working for me and my clients in 2025.
The first is live monthly workshops. These are hands-on tailored [00:05:00] workshop based on what members. Actually want, I pull them in advance and then I create workshops that walk them through implementation live. A lot of times we're using AI tools like custom props or AI assistance to help them speed up that process.
But the key here is it's a live workshop. It is tailored to what the questions that they are actually. Asking right now and before the workshops, I always poll them and ask them what questions do you have so I can make sure that I answer them live. The next one is one of my favorites, and this is my members only private podcast feed.
So members can submit real questions from their business and I answer. All of them in a private podcast feed. It's really like an on demand mentoring that fits their schedule, but it also [00:06:00] keeps them moving forward. The next is built in AI assistance. So inside all of my memberships, I've also built AI support.
Tools that do everything really from mindset coaching to weekly accountability check-ins. So we even have specialized bots for newsletter writing, digital product planning and implementation workflows. So that is helping them get faster results without overwhelming their time or my time.
Here's why all of this works. So this approach keeps things fresh because the content is evolving with the market. It's flexible because members can get help with their specific situation, which is key here, and it's very. Focus because we are prioritizing implementation over just watching videos and watching content.
And it's not just me, it's [00:07:00] working for our members too. They feel supported, they stay on track, they implement faster, and they aren't left wondering, what do I do next? Now, I do wanna be clear on this. Courses are not dead. In fact, people are still buying self-pay trainings. When they, number one, solve a specific problem, they offer a quick win.
The solution is easy to implement. For example, I recently bought a self-paced course to help me set up a better tracking system for my membership. Using Airtable. So it solved a very specific need, and I didn't need access to the instructor. I just really needed the steps to set all of this up. So yes, courses still have a place, but they need to be highly.
Focused and results driven. So to [00:08:00] anyone out there who's feeling stuck or scared about ai, I don't want you to freeze. I want you to lean in. The truth is AI is not here to replace creators, is here to support us. Speed up the stuff that drains us. And help us scale without burning out. But that human element, which is your brain, your judgment, your experience, that is irreplaceable.
So if you are adopting your business to the AI world, I want you to ask yourself, how can I give people more access to me? How can I incorporate AI tools to help them get results? Faster and how can I shift from just delivering information to delivering transformation? I'd love to hear what you are doing to adopt, so come connect with me or [00:09:00] LinkedIn or respond to any of my emails.
If you're not on the Creator’s MBA newsletter, definitely jump on that and thank you so much for. Being here with me today. Until next time, keep creating, keep leading, and keep growing your digital product business. Bye for now.
Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed this episode today. If you love the show, I'd appreciate a review on Apple Podcast or your favorite podcast platform. Have a great rest of your day and bye for now.