It’s easier to stand out than ever
Do you feel like you’re drowning in AI slop these days? It’s everywhere, and so influential that it’s starting to influence how real people write and speak. I’m talking about the engagement-bait posts, the comments that sound smart but don’t, in fact, say anything at all, or the 20 page report you received that left you thinking, “wait, what?”
For anyone building a career, a company, a following or a network, it’s overwhelming to see the sheer volume of AI-generated activity and wonder how you can compete. Colleagues are finishing assignments faster than you, delivering copy and paste work that’s impressive on the surface but has little depth. Competitors post 20 times a day, parroting the same old stories that are proven to drive engagement. Within this shallow wave of AI output, though, lies an exceptional opportunity.
You’ve likely already seen the beginnings of a backlash. Personally, I can spot AI writing from about half a mile away, and I’m by no means alone. When I see it, I ignore it almost automatically, except perhaps for having a slightly reduced opinion of the person claiming it as their own work. Sometimes I’ll stop and read just for the entertainment value, shaking my head as I do. What the perpetrators of this collective move to the middle don’t seem to realise is that as the slop takes over, it’s easier to stand out than ever before.
People want to connect with other people, hear genuine perspectives and feel that there’s real weight and effort in the things they consume. The reason Ferrari still build cars mostly by hand is that customers can tell the difference. There’s nothing specific they can point to, but the care and attention that’s conveyed by a hand-stitched interior is worth a huge premium. It’s not scalable, but it is exceptional - and that’s what counts in a world where scale is easy. There is no quick substitute for being genuine, doing the work and developing real understanding in your domain, as well as true interpersonal skills (another advantage in our highly virtual society).
I’m by no means anti-AI. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, that will be clear. Most of the AI crew, however, are trying to automate the wrong things. The point is building real relationships, not commenting on more posts than the next guy. It’s about substance, not quantity.
There’s a second, more substantial consequence to letting ChatGPT or Claude write everything for you. Writing helps you to think. It’s the step by which we process information, check our understanding and form opinions. And it’s thinking, understanding and taking a firm position that makes someone different and unique. Anyone can copy and paste. Those who hold strong convictions and have the knowledge and understanding to back them up are the ones who become truly successful.
It’s natural that most of the world will take the path of least resistance - that’s just human nature. And if they get good at taking shortcuts, they might even do well for a while. But if you want to build a business, network, following or career that has long-term potential and compounds over time, opt out of AI slop. Write things yourself. Turn up, in person, with genuine interest. Do the work. If you put in just a little extra effort, it’s the easiest time in history to rise above the crowd and make a name for yourself.
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