Why I’m an AI Content skeptic (And How I’m Experimenting With It Anyway)
Founders, are you finding the digital landscape feels increasingly crowded and banal?
The pressure to remain visible is often leading to a reliance on AI-generated content that, while efficient, risks drowning out the very thing that makes a business stand out: its unique human voice.
But I believe there is a more thoughtful way to use AI.
The best content is the real you, the real business that you operate. Your experience, your opinions, your stories and the lessons you have learned are unique to you and in our heart of hearts, we know this is what people crave.
Used well, AI is simply the tool that helps you organise, amplify and repurpose those ideas.
I like to think I am an ethical and consciously aware AI user and spend a lot of time thinking about this and ensuring my practices reflect my values and are true to me.
However, I’d love to experiment with more of a social media presence without spending tonnes of time doing it.
Over the next 6 to 12 months, I am testing an AI-assisted content workflow to understand exactly how it can help me create more consistently while keeping my content personal, authentic and aligned with my voice.
This is how I am doing it.
Step 1: Start with my own knowledge and experience
The foundation of my content is not AI-generated ideas.
It starts with my own intellectual property. As a Google Workspace user, my AI tool of choice is Gemini Notebook.
I upload content I have already created, including:
Blog articles
Podcast transcripts
Notes and ideas
Brand messaging
Existing content
Photos and visual assets
This gives AI plenty of context. Instead of asking it to create something from nothing, I am giving it the raw materials that represent my thinking.
My goal is to use AI to make it easier to share the thinking and ideas that already exists.
Step 2: Use AI as a content strategist
Using Gemini Notebook, I can create a dedicated workspace (a ‘notebook’) containing a library of my content and sources, and ask it to help me identify:
Recurring themes
Key messages
Common questions my audience asks
Content gaps
Different ways to communicate an idea
Opportunities to expand a topic
It becomes a thinking partner that helps me see connections and patterns I might not spot immediately.
For example, one podcast conversation could become:
A LinkedIn post sharing a key insight
A longer blog article
A newsletter
A short video script
A carousel post
A discussion point for future content
The original thought stays intact but the format changes, and the ideas expand.
Step 3: Create a content suite, not isolated pieces
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is creating every piece of content from scratch.
I find I end up being exhausted and I get content fatigue pretty quickly.
So, I’m building a system where one valuable piece of thinking can become a complete content suite.
That podcast interview is not just one episode but it is just one hour of your time.
It could become:
The key lessons from the conversation
The mistakes to avoid
The story behind the experience
Practical tips for your audience
Questions your ideal clients are asking
A future blog series
This means I am getting more value from the work I have already done.
Step 4: Keep the human element
But this is the most important part for me - it sounds like me, and it is my thoughts and ideas. We all want to be original and not AI copies.
Since AI doesn’t have my judgement, my perspective or my way of looking at problems, each piece of content goes through human editing. Yes, this takes some time up, but it is so much less time than starting from scratch. A huge mountain becomes a manageable incline.
I review and refine everything to make sure:
It sounds like me
It reflects my actual opinions
It adds my experience and examples
It provides genuine value
It feels natural rather than automated
My Human-in-the-Loop Quality Control Checklist
The Fluff Filter: Does this sentence add value or just take up space? (Cut the buzzwords and reorganise sentences if they don’t sound like you).
The Personal Bridge: Have I given an anecdote or real life example from my own client work?
The 'Voice' Check: Does this sound like a human conversation? Would I say that?
Risk Assessment: Have I fact-checked all data? (AI can hallucinate (very convincingly!) so don’t trust stats or quotes without verifying).
The goal is to have content created by me but made more efficient by AI support.
My AI content principles
As I experiment with this approach, these are the principles I follow:
1. Original thinking comes first
AI should help develop ideas, not replace expertise.
2. Human judgement stays in control
Every piece of content is reviewed before it is shared.
3. Your voice cannot be outsourced
You are unique, lean into that.
4. Confidential information stays protected
Client information and sensitive data should never be uploaded into AI tools.
5. Quality matters more than quantity
All day everyday I go for quality over quantity in everything I do. The goal here is better quality content to build meaningful connection and maintain visibility even at times when you have a lot on your plate.
How I will measure whether this works
I am treating this as a 6 to 12 month experiment.
I want to measure whether this approach genuinely improves my content process.
I will be tracking:
Time saved
How many hours does it take to create content before and after introducing this workflow?
Content output
How many more:
Articles
Posts
Videos
Newsletters
can I create consistently?
Engagement
What happens to:
Website visits
Comments
Shares
Saves
Conversations
Business results
Ultimately, the important measures are:
Enquiries
Discovery calls
New opportunities
In a trust recession, caused by AI, the aim is to build that trust, show our expertise and create our own opportunities.
Is the future of content AI with the human in the loop?
I will caveat this by saying, I am not completely sold on handing over something as personal and important as content to AI but I think the conversation is often too focused on it being a replacement for critical thinking.
AI isn’t going anywhere so my goal is to experiment with it and pick up its best case uses. If this can be assisting me with content, that would be great!
AI can help us organise ideas, speed up repetitive tasks and create efficient systems.
But the parts that matter most, judgement, empathy, experience and understanding people, remain deeply human.
So that is the approach I am testing, measuring and refining over the next year. I’d love for you to be part of this experiment: what is your biggest frustration when it comes to using AI for your content? Get in touch and let me know (isabelle@izzwhizzva.co.uk).
If you’re looking for more personalised support, you can also get in touch today for a no pressure conversation on outsourcing the tasks that don’t need your unique human touch.
