Authenticity Isn’t Anti-AI. It’s Anti-Autopilot.
- Liza Engel
- Nov 11, 2025
- 3 min read
A senior leader recently told me:
“I hate emails that sound like AI. I avoid using it. I don’t want to lose my authenticity.”
That reaction is increasingly common - and increasingly justified.
Especially now, when we are flooded with AI-generated content that’s not just clunky, but false. A recent Swiss newspaper article found that over half of all online articles may now be generated by AI, with many containing errors or outright fabrications. Entire websites are creating content with zero human oversight, and even search engines are struggling to keep up.
The fear of losing our human voice in a flood of fabricated noise is real.
Let’s rewind 5 years. Would you have agreed with this statement 5 years ago:
Authenticity isn’t about avoiding tools. It’s about using them in the service of clarity - not in place of it.
Now fast-forward to the present:
With tools that are more powerful, and the noise louder, does this statement still hold?
The Myth: If You Get Help, It’s Not Really Yours
We’ve always relied on others in the creative process:
Editors help us sharpen.
Coaches help us uncover.
Colleagues help us test.
That never made our work inauthentic - it made it stronger.
AI can fit into that tradition. But only if we place it consciously at the right moments in the process.
Not as your ghostwriter. But as your pre-writer testing YOUR ideas.
Or as your editor - a sharp second set of eyes once you’ve put YOUR truth on the page.
Don’t Skip the Thinking
The problem is that not only can AI make us sound robotic. The deeper risk is that we let it think for us.
Before you even touch a tool, ask yourself: “Do I actually know what I want to say?”
AI can echo your voice. But it cannot uncover your authentic message.
That part - the clarity, the conviction, the honesty - is 100% human work.
Where AI Can Help: The Bookends of Communication
At the Start: Use AI as a Writing Coach
Before you write, AI can help you think out loud. Ask it:
What’s unclear in this idea?
What reactions might this trigger?
What am I assuming? And should I check that?
What might a reader need to feel before they can hear this?
These aren’t prompts for copy.
They’re prompts for depth.
At the End: Use AI as a Smart Editor
Once you’ve written something that feels honest, test it with AI and ask:
What parts feel misaligned with my tone?
What might land awkwardly with readers?
What suggestions would an editor offer?
The goal here isn’t to make it sound better. The goal is to ensure it still sounds like you, as you intended it to.
The Authenticity Loop
Here’s a simple self-check before you write anything meaningful:
Clarify: What’s the one thing I genuinely want to say?
Prompt: If I could only say one thing, what would it be? And why?
Prepare: What might make this harder to receive?
Prompt: Where might this misfire? Or miss the nuance?
Preview: How would this land with someone else?
Prompt: What does this message say about me? or How might this land with my audience?
This loop help you to ground your authentic intent.
Let AI Help You Think Deeply or Polish - Not Write
In a world where AI is mass-producing content, genuine authenticity doesn’t come from clever phrasing, it comes from deliberate thinking. You, the human, are the source of the insight and originality we crave.
AI can’t give you authenticity. That’s on YOU.
But if you use it with intention, it can help you sharpen your thinking and protect your voice.
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