Don’t AI Me.

If you’re sending me something written by AI…
make it sound like you.

↓

AI is a great first draft.

Use it. Honestly. AI is brilliant at the unglamorous parts of writing:

  • Brainstorming — ten options in ten seconds when the page is blank.
  • Rewriting — untangling the sentence you’ve reread five times.
  • Summarizing — turning a forty-message thread into three lines.
  • Fixing grammar — catching what your tired eyes no longer can.
  • Organizing ideas — finding the structure hiding in your notes.

These are excellent uses. Nobody is grading you on typing every word yourself.

But don’t stop there.

The catch: the first answer AI gives you is the first answer it gives everyone. Sent unedited, every message drifts toward the same voice —

Corporate.
Polished to the point of plastic.
Generic.
Could be from anyone, to anyone.
Emotionless.
Every feeling filed smooth.
Predictable.
You know the next sentence before you read it.

When nobody edits, everybody sounds the same. And the person reading you can tell.

Same announcement. Two voices.

❌ First draft

Dear team,

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to inform you that, effective Monday, our weekly sync will be moving to 10:00 AM. This adjustment is designed to streamline communication, minimize scheduling conflicts, and foster alignment across the organization.

Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued dedication and support.

Best regards,
Sarah

✅ Sounds human

Hey all — quick change: the weekly sync moves to 10am starting Monday, so it stops colliding with lunch. Anyone who’s seen me before I’ve eaten knows this is for your own safety.

Same link, same room. Shout if 10 clashes with something.

— Sarah

Both took the same AI draft. The second one got ninety seconds of editing — and it’s the only one people will actually read.

Five things to do before pressing Send

  1. Delete unnecessary words.

    If the sentence survives without it, it was never needed.

  2. Rewrite the opening sentence.

    “I hope this message finds you well” has never found anyone well.

  3. Add something only you know.

    A detail, a name, an inside joke. Proof that a person was here.

  4. Replace phrases you’d never normally say.

    If you wouldn’t say “leverage synergies” out loud, don’t press Send on it.

  5. Read it out loud.

    If it doesn’t sound like you, it isn’t you. Yet.

AI should save time.

Not erase personality.