A writer’s thoughts on AI

I’m a writer.

I’ve sent this letter out every Thursday since 2015. I’ve also written for dozens of publications, including Shareable, Mother Jones, Yes! Magazine, Lifehacker, and No Depression, and I’ve written more essays, blog posts, and social media posts than I can keep track of. And I wrote a book for coworking pros.

I write every day.

And I also tinker around with AI.

But you won’t see any writing with my name on it that was written by AI. I use AI for ideation, organization, and formatting, but never when I’m writing to you.

Here’s why:

When I write to you, I am writing directly to you. As I sit here typing, I’m thinking about all of you—where you may be in your work, space, and day, and doing my best to be a clear channel for my thoughts, observations, and insights.

And I believe you can feel that I’m sharing from me to you.

There’s a rhythm, a presence, and an intention. I want to connect with you, inspire you, encourage you, and cheerlead you to create the best coworking space, brand, and community you possibly can.

That is real and true. And I think the reason several thousand coworking pros read this letter every week is that you can feel that.

Which begs the question, when AI does the writing for you, who are you connecting with? Who is the voice and presence behind the words?

The answer is, no one.

And I believe that’s why AI writing feels empty. There is no presence, there is no intention, there is no rhythm, there is no connection.

All the words are there, and it sounds smart, but it’s hard to read because communication is not just an exchange of words, it’s an exchange of energy, voice, and intention.

Even when I ask AI to write based on my previous work, it feels empty. Because there’s no me behind the words, which is pretty amazing, when you think about it—that when we communicate, we’re sharing so much more than words and well-organized ideas.

So, use AI as the amazing tool it is to ideate, organize, proofread, outline, format, etc. But be mindful about only putting your name on things that are a true reflection of you.

Because we can feel that.