I remember the first time I got a text message that was copy and pasted from AI.
It was so blatantly obvious, I was embarrassed for them.
And it wasn’t a stranger either.
So, I did the same thing I would do if someone had spinach in their teeth.
I called it out.
And the response?
“The AI was just saying what I wanted to say, but more emphatically.”
They were outsourcing empathy to a machine.
I Made This Mistake Too
While I have never done the same lift-and-shift-copy-paste above, in early 2023, I did the same thing.
AI seemed like a social media expert in your pocket!
And when I read that content now, I see all the watermarks: overuse of antithesis, em dashes, sentences that don’t sound like me.
It felt stale.
Artificial.
But what was the problem exactly?
I was letting AI have the final say.
But, so what?
Turns out, who touches the message last before we hit send is pretty important.
a tale of two cards!
For example, say you received a delightfully crafted birthday card.
In scenario A, your best friend went shopping for all the materials and lovingly assembled it. And then they gave the card to their assistant to write in the card, stick it in an envelope and hand-delivered it to you.
In scenario B, your best friend’s assistant did the shopping and assembly. But your friend wrote in the card, put it in the envelope and hand-delivered it to you.
Which one feels more personal? If you’re like me, it’s probably scenario B!
Why is that?
Because if I, a human, were to make the delivery, there’s a sense of consideration in the exchange.
When the assistant makes the delivery, there’s a sense of “What? Joey couldn’t be bothered to deliver it himself?” — even when arguably more effort was put into making the card!
In the same way, when people copy and paste AI messages, it feels a bit like asking AI to “write the card.” Unfortunately, it betrays all of the effort and care that may have been put in upfront!
how I use AI
For content, I give AI my writing samples so it knows my style. I prompt it to ask me questions to help clarify my intent. I then give it 1-2 sentences about what I want to write.
Then I edit.
Multiple times.
Because AI is a great sparring partner for solving the blank page problem.
But, if used the wrong way, it can strip so much good intention from a gesture that its use is counter productive.
What do you think? Do you enjoy getting AI generated text messages from people you know? Is it better than getting nothing at all? Get in touch and let me know!
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