To the Endless Stream of A.I. Junk: Thank You and Uh Oh
To the endless stream of junk…
Thank you.
To the people willing to publish crap...
Thank you.
To the charlatans, the hucksters, the spammers, the cheats...
Thank you.
And of course, to those who abuse AI and use the technology to produce mediocrity at incredible scale...
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
You make it easier for us to stand out.
Right now, we're experiencing a moment so very full of junk, crap, charlatans, hucksters, spammers, and cheats -- and yes, a ton of people using and abusing AI tools to produce impressively mediocre content at breathtaking scale.
I say, good.
Because when we know how to produce original work consistently, when we know what it takes to escape the content hamster wheel and create connection not just "content," then you and I are better-positioned than we've ever been to stand out easier and resonate deeper -- all thanks to all that junk. They don't know it, but folks producing endless commodity crap are doing us a profound service. They make life easier for those of us hellbent on doing things with integrity, quality, creativity, and craft at the core.
It turns out when you know how to shine bright in your own color, a waterfall of gray behind you is rather useful. You stand in stark contrast to that backdrop. Certainly, a waterfall is more beneficial than a slow trickle, so the "endless sameness" is more useful to our cause than "occasional sameness." Likewise, it's easier to stand out against this current version of the internet than in a world where everyone shines their own unique colors. For better or worse, that world is simply not our reality online right now.
But while I'm grateful for what all this junk does in a competitive sense, I'm worried about what this does to the livelihoods of creative people. And I'm fried enough and frustrated enough to finally speak openly and honestly on behalf of my fellow makers and marketers:
I've had enough of the AI bullshit.
(You can find the audio version of this essay, performed by yours truly, here…)
This is something author/speaker friends of mine are thinking but not saying that much -- but, if my behind-the-scenes conversations are any indication, that's about to change. Understand, I'm not talking about the tools or what they do, and I'm only partially sick of AI because it's so trendy. No, the reason I'm fed up -- and many friends are too -- is thanks to the rampant disrespect of creatives, writers, and artists for (checks notes) the entire history of business. It's just reached a fever pitch today.
My problem isn't with the tools themselves. My problem is how decision-makers across the business world are selling and buying these tools. It only devalues creative people and their craft even further. Yes, some people reading this might unsubscribe from my newsletter or reply to explain why I'm wrong. And yes, there are very many nuanced ways to think about AI, and very many people are welcome to say very many things about that.
I'm not going to be one of them. Not for awhile at least.
We need to thumb the scales back towards balance and back towards sanity, more in favor of the humans doing the work. If you're expecting me to have a steady take on this stuff because I have a steady take on most things, you're going to be disappointed.
I'll explain why in a minute, but first, let me be brutally honest and Waterford crystal clear:
People are already losing work and losing jobs because of generative AI.
My inbox is filling up with readers and listeners complaining that their boss wants them to use the tools to write or create something, while these creators recognize it hurts their work and risks hurting their brand. Even more alarming, I'm seeing some notes from people who were laid off entirely, while the company asks marketers to do more with less, pointing to AI to justify why that's possible. (One subscriber even shared how she was laid off, then watched her previous employer backfill her role with an entry level marketer, tasking them with producing tons of content generated wholesale by AI. Two months later, when that backfired, they also laid off that junior person.)
This is madness.
This is Sparta.
Now, I recognize some people might go, "Eh, sure Jay, but this devaluing of the storyteller and content creator is nothing new."
Just because that's true doesn't mean it's right. That doesn't mean we accept it. "Believing that things can get better? ... Man, that's fundamental to being alive." (Ted Lasso)
This isn't about shouting at others. This is about showing others.
Let us pray... (closes eyes)
Dear Heavenly Executive Buying AI Tools:
Your content is crap, and that's the problem. More crap isn't the answer. In fact, pushing harder to produce more crap will only give us brand-hemorrhoids. (Opens one eye.)
Brandrrhoids? Hemorrwriting?
(Closes eye.)
Heavenly Executive, we aren't in the reach business. We are in the resonance business. Although evil forces tempt us into believing the job of marketing is to "get in front of" people, we know the job is to ensure they care. Once they do, they may act. When they act, we see results.
May we see endless results.
May we refrain from spraying yet another firehose full of gray onto this world. Instead, oh Executive, let us shine our own unique color to stand out easier and resonate deeper against the sameness -- and may we find and uplift those individuals capable of producing work such as this.
Let us embrace that we don't need to produce more volume if we know how to produce things that are more valuable. Let us never fail to remember:
✅ Better things perform better.
💛 Connection is the real job, not content.
👎 Mediocre work yields mediocre results.
💰 We ought not to market more but, instead, to matter more. Because when we matter more, we need to hustle for attention less.
We pray that we remember this and work by this, forever and ever. Amen.
* * *
Listen, call me crazy, but I don't think praying things work out is a smart strategy.
(I know, right? What a jerk, making you read that whole thing just to rip the rug like that. Well, imagine how the people in my inbox feel when the rug gets ripped out from under them at work?)
We need two things to happen:
Influential voices who operate INSIDE the business world and who ALREADY carry weight with execs need to start speaking openly and honestly about their concerns.
We all need to loudly support whichever generative AI companies actually do find a way to marry their behaviors to their stated values. (Nothing influences executives quite like being outpaced by a competitor being celebrated more.)
I feel good about Number 1. I think it's happening a little bit already and the floodgates will open soon.
Number 2 is a lot more complicated. I truly believe the companies building generative AI tools are staffed by many wonderful people who believe in the stuff I'm saying. They genuinely want to empower makers and marketers, not devalue them or pave a path towards employers replacing them. But the fact remains their internal incentives (and their investors' incentives) do not align with those values.
It's only a company value if you're willing to turn away opportunity to remain true to it. Time and time again we see in business, incentives beat intentions. So unless a company changes their incentives first, they aren't really able to execute according to the values many state. Those values end up about as effectual as Ted Lasso taping a sign reading "BELIEF" to the locker room wall. It's the actions that follow, not the value itself, which make a difference. Are these companies incentivized to live up to the values I hear from many of their teammates? I don't think they are, especially when so many have taken on so much venture capital at this point. (VC is rocket fuel. Hypergrowth is the goal by design.)
But what could these orgs do to improve things?
Proactively seek out external regulatory measures and vocally support them. (Not self-regulation either.)
Through more of their marketing, take back the narrative from the broad, macro-level story about generative AI to correct misconceptions which lead to shortsighted decisions by execs. The name is an obvious starting point: "generative" AI conveys that the tools generate content. What other things currently generate content? People. But what if a company stood up to say, hey, actually, that's a misconception. These are best used as interns or brainstorm buddies or unblockers of ideas. We're going to call this assistive AI. THAT is a step in the right direction. (Right now, tech companies are happy to let the misconceptions persist, because they benefit. But remember, it's only a company value if you're willing to turn away opportunities for it.)
Require trainings and certifications of new users the way a company selling heavy machinery or vehicles or weaponry would or should. (That's require, not offer.) Do they have a license to operate this thing? They should.
Of course, foundational to any of this (and more things too) is to show execs why they need to listen to their in-house marketers and creatives. They're not lackeys carrying your water. They understand how this will affect your brand. Listen to them. Take them seriously.
To help, companies can offer trainings and resources to equip creatives and marketers with the language they need to better communicate with execs, advocating for their own worth and compensation. Imagine an AI company running an event series focused on how to better speak to execs given the onslaught of AI short-sightedness? Powerful. And guess which vendor those practitioners will trust and want to buy from when it's time to do so? (BTW, if you're at an AI company and like this idea, let's talk.)
This isn't about the ethical use of AI, though that matters a ton. This is about the principled use of AI. Until generative AI companies are willing to turn away opportunities like sales and user growth to stay true to their principles, I’m going to remain worried and get louder and encourage my audience and my fancy friends do the same. We need a counterweight to the current, overriding momentum. A healthy give-and-take will yield something more beneficial for all involved -- much more than pure optimism OR pure cynicism.
But right now, the cynics (or at least critics) are being drowned out. The call is coming from OUTSIDE the house -- that is, people who are not in the business world, who don't look like colleagues or friends who "get it," are the ones mostly doing the criticizing (government, media, academic, etc.).
But what if business influencers start to speak out? What if business storytellers or current and former execs begin to thumb the scales back in favor of principled use of AI? If we call out the BS without holding back or couching it, and if we inspire execs to think better about this stuff and equip creators to advocate better for themselves? Wow, what a world that could be.
And if we can do that? If each of us can truly do that? Can't nobody rip that apart. (Thanks again, Ted.)
Over the longer arc of time, this will be about inspiring change, not demanding it. We'll be more effective showing others, not shouting at them.
But... yanno...
Sometimes...
I mean, sometimes...
What I'm trying to say is, SOMETIMES...
You need to shout a little more.
Respect creatives. Respect writers. Respect artists.
Pay creatives. Pay writers. Pay artists.
Or kindly f*ck off.