It’s safe to say that generative AI gave the corporate world its caffeine hit. 

Once chatbots started writing code and automating workflows, CEOs finally saw the math behind the hype. McKinsey now estimates the generative AI market to be valued at up to $4.4 trillion a year, with global AI spending expected to hit $632 billion by 2028.

However, the next big leap isn’t about typing assistants, but about agentic AI.

These systems don’t just suggest, but can effectively decide, act, and learn across multiple workflows. These autonomous analysts can optimize supply chains, manage portfolios, and perform a wide range of other tasks without being asked. 

Additionally, the market is still in its nascence, at around $7 billion today, but it is projected to reach $93 billion within a decade as businesses wire agents into real systems.

And yet, we might be in for the biggest disruption yet. 

Ray Dalio, the billionaire behind Bridgewater, is quietly taking AI into a stranger play, and potentially a lot more lucrative. 

His latest project effectively blurs the line between human judgment and machine intelligence. If his bet pays off, the next frontier for AI might not just automate work, it might replicate wisdom itself.

Ray Dalio introduces “Digital Ray,” an AI clone modeled on his investing principles and decision-making playbook

Image source: Dipasupil/Getty Images

Ray Dalio’s AI clone blurs the line between man and machine

Ray Dalio’s “Digital Ray” isn’t just a market metaphor, but a bona fide AI clone that’s designed to think, speak, and advise just like the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates. 

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The bot, which Dalio showcased this week, is currently in beta testing and is already generating a ton of chatter from the market punditry. 

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Dalio says the clone can potentially offer “unlimited conversations” with users who’re looking for guidance on investing, leadership, or life decisions. Hence, it’s essentially a virtual extension of his breadth of experience in the investing realm.

The most exciting thing happening now is the merging of intelligent individuals with intelligent AIs. Together they can make extraordinarily effective decisions that neither could make alone.

Ray Dalio on LinkedIn.

What makes “Digital Ray” different is its depth. 

The bot is trained on Dalio’s principles, research notes, and Bridgewater data that spans a whopping 50 years. Early testers claim it can perform 95% as well as if you were speaking to Dalio directly, and nearly 80% as well on markets and economics. On top of that, it also layers in emotional reasoning along with value-based decision-making.

On top of that, Dalio says his goal is to democratize mentorship. 

Sharing all that I’ve learned, all that I’m doing, and all that I am imagining is consistent with my main goal: to pass along what I have that can be valuable to others.

Ray Dalio

If it all works out smoothly, Digital Ray will mark a brand new chapter for human-AI collaboration, one where billionaire investors could potentially teach the new generation on how to navigate markets in real time.

Quick Takeaways:

  • Ray Dalio showed off “Digital Ray,” an AI clone mirroring his investing and life principles to efficiently coach users in real time.
  • The bot consistently performs 95% as well as speaking to Dalio directly, and 80% as well on markets and economics.
  • Dalio says the project’s goal is to seamlessly integrate human judgment with AI precision,

Dalio’s Digital Ray sparks the ‘expertise-as-a-service’ era

In many ways, Ray Dalio’s Digital Ray may become the prototype for monetizing human expertise at software scale. 

If the notion is that AI agents can do things, Dalio’s head-turning new move might prove that clones can be someone, turning decades of intellectual property into a scalable advice business.

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For investors, that’s a clear signal.

AI clones could potentially convert a person’s lifetime of books, interviews, and decision-making experiences into a 24/7 coaching platform that only improves over time. Additionally, the economics of it could prove incredibly lucrative, with post-training inference costs dropping at a dramatic pace, making each new conversation feel almost free.

For a little perspective, even with a small footprint, at 1 to 3 million subscribers paying $10–$20 a month translates to $120 million to $720 million in annual recurring revenue for just a single high-profile clone. 

Add the enterprise seats for banks, funds, or consulting firms at $100,000–$300,000 each, and that results in another $100–$300 million.

Scaling that across 200–500 “tier-A” clones in finance, tech, health, and other sectors, and we could be looking at a $1–$10 billion platform opportunity by the end of the current decade. 

Hence, the big takeaway is that Ray Dalio just validated a new AI vertical in expertise-as-a-Service. Whoever looks to cash in on the marketplace that aggregates the biggest minds could be sitting on the next $5–$15 billion AI category.

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