Nowadays a quick way to filter a job/school application is to see whether and how it says the candidate wants to do machine learning.
(Some neural network probably already existed precisely for this.)
Machine learning by itself is not the problem (quite on the contrary).
The problem is whether you can even form your own independent opinions.
When something (investment, technology, or research field) becomes hot it is already too late to bandwagon.
Those pioneers you see today started (and stuck to) their stuff when it is not yet hot.
Stick with your passion, belief, and opinion might not lead to success, but at least you can have fun, face less competition, and success/fail in your own style.
And if you are smart and creative enough you can have the cake and eat it.
Say your expertise and/or interests are about user interface design. But you also want to do some machine learning like everyone else.
You can switch field, and compete with a lot of smart people who have more passion and knowledge.
Or you can stick with user interfaces, and use machine learning to make them better. You can pick up something new without ditching what you already have.