Two competing headlines in one day––and how to cash in
Looking at the new snowfall
Juuust east of the Mississippi
Hey *|FNAME|*,
On Wednesday I saw these two headlines:
Study of 12,000 EU Firms Finds AI’s Productivity Gains Are Real
and
Thousands of CEOs Just Admitted AI Had No Impact On Employment Or Productivity
So which is it?
Does AI help productivity, or is it (currently) causing people to work less… and think less?
In the book Thinking, Fast and Slow, author Daniel Kahneman made it quite clear that our brains are happy to give up any cognitive load, leading to shortcut thinking.
As AI improves, it will lead to increased productivity…
Eventually.
Because it’s a tool.
And as a tool, it has zero life experience.
It’s generating fake scenarios and bland output based on an average of the world’s online intelligence.
Which, you may have noticed, isn’t exactly stellar.
I moderated an online event about using AI for improved thought leadership.
The guest was the brilliant marketer A. Lee Judge.
And the best takeaway from Lee’s session was:
“Your marketing might use AI. But trust has to start and end with humans.”
Real humans with real experiences. Real skin in a real game. Real moments of real failure and real victory.
Can AI fake that?
Probably.
And it’ll get better at it.
Does a fake story build trust?
Not with me, and I’m guessing not with you.
Which means any guru selling you AI prompts and plug-and-play frameworks is selling you hot air.
Those things come and go.
Real human experiences and emotions are how we connect and build trust with one another.
AI has it’s uses, like finding gaps in your sales content (“You forgot a caption for the photo” type stuff).
And if you want to cash in on AI… consider not using it to craft crap copy, while your competitors do.
And while you’re at it, make a mistake now and again to proof you’re human.
Your all-human friend,
Jeffrey G Thomas
Growth Partner and Direct Response Copywriter