AI Writing Vs. Thought Leadership: Enemies or Frenemies?

The first time I used an AI writing tool (now Jasper AI) was way before 'it was cool.'

It was around COVID time when there was no ChatGPT in sight, and everyone was locked at home. For those few pandemic years, digital marketing became all of marketing. While billions of people waited to go back to work, organizing closets, baking cupcakes, and Netflix-ing, digital marketing agencies were thriving.

At the time, I was collaborating as a freelancer with one such agency. We had a client who needed a series of keyword-optimized blog posts following a long list of titles provided by an SEO expert. It was a lot of hard work that included heavy research and writing a minimum of 2,000 words per blog post.

Then they suggested I try this Jasper tool, which uses AI, and see if it can speed up the process.

Writing with AI

I remember looking at that screen that was just popping out words like nothing. And, initially, they all made sense!

My first thought was: OMG, this is amazing!

My second thought was: OMG, this thing will take my job!

But after spending some time with it, my final thought was: OK, this baby has great potential, but it needs much parenting.

AI-generated the blog post fast, paragraph by paragraph. Still, the result was very poor writing, often making false claims. I spent hours on end checking the 'facts' it provided, editing and injecting more human-like words and experiences. I ended up completely changing its wording, structure, angle, and facts until nothing that AI wrote was left.

Did it save me time? It didn't. It just got me started faster and eliminate procrastination, but the rest of process was the same. 

Scraping the internet for emotions

Fast forward three years from 2021, and millions worldwide use AI writing tools daily. The tools have improved by now (even Jasper). Still, one thing remains the same—AI-generated text doesn't sound human or personal.

That's not to say it cannot write about emotions. Or that it doesn't understand what it needs to do when you prompt it: "Write me an engaging post about XYZ and use words that reflect excitement."

It will do the job by scraping the internet and looking for patterns of how people typically express excitement. And it will add emojis. Lots and lots of nonsense emojis:

 🚀 In our fast-paced world, keeping our teams learning and growing is key. 🌱 I'm excited to share…

You've seen posts starting like this.

That's because AI is very good at generic expressions and commodity content.

But it doesn't know how you feel about XYZ.

'Show up' content is not thought leadership

AI cannot reach your memories (at least for now, until we implant the chip.)

It doesn't know why 'this event' triggered your thoughts in 'that' direction.

It doesn't know your opinion and a distinctive point of view on specific problems and trends.

AI has no clue how much sweat and tears you invested in your craft.

It doesn't understand your passion and why you get up in the morning—and how that shines through almost everything you do or say.

Sure, AI can help you pop out content at scale and ensure you 'show up' in digital channels (which is important nowadays).

But it cannot write words that will position you as a thought leader.

• The one who has a unique perspective.

• Who is opinionated and not afraid to take a stand.

• The one who sparks conversations and makes human-to-human connections while sharing experiences.

• The one to whom others look up to when they need guidance or a peek into the future of their industry.

Commodity content—perfect for AI

Have you ever read a piece and thought: "OMG, this person is reading my mind! This is exactly how I think about it"?

 It happened to me recently when I was reading a blog post by one marketing thought leader, Andy Crestodina, who explained in plain English the difference between:

• commodity content that can be successfully created by AI,

• and thought leadership content that only humans can write.

The table below unpacks what falls under commodity content and what's considered thought leadership. 

OK, so AI-written commodity content and thought leadership are entirely separate things.

But are they exactly sworn enemies?

Or we can combine the two to get the best of both worlds.

I believe we can.

Truce: AI and Thought Leadership as frenemies

We cannot deny that AI and thought leadership are in opposition.

But while they may never be BFFs, they can be 'frenemies,' meaning in a friendly relationship despite the rivalry. Because AI is just a tool—not the writer—and can play a supportive role in the thought leadership writing process.

Here are some ways AI can assist thought leaders:

1. Brainstorming topics

AI can be a valuable brainstorming partner. By feeding it with your audience persona and current trends, AI can suggest rarely covered topics or offer counter-narratives. This can help thought leaders identify and explore their unique angles.

2. Atomizing long-form content

AI can help break down long-form content into shorter, more digestible posts. Thought leaders can then add their flavor, emotion, and personal stories to these posts, ensuring they remain authentic and engaging.

 3. Text improvement and grammar check

Not everyone who aims to write content is a professional writer, and that's OK. AI tools can help them improve writing quality through rewriting paragraphs, editing for grammar, and testing different headlines.

This allows thought leaders to focus on the substance of their content while AI handles the technical aspects.

Keeping the human at the helm

AI can significantly aid in content preparation, research, and technical refinement. However, the human element should remain irreplaceable in thought leadership.

I say 'should' because with AI developing so fast, we don't know anything for sure, including how this thing will develop over the next year, let alone the following 10.

What I do know is that it will take us where we allow it to take us.

We define how much control we give to AI.

I challenge you to brainstorm on my thesis and strong belief:

Writing is a form of thinking, and thinking is an inherently human process that is way too important to be left to machines.

Bots and machines are fantastic assistants. But we are the ones who stay on top, infusing technology with our creativity, passion, and uniqueness.