Don’t Let AI Write Your Next Mistake
In 2025 alone, we’ve seen a parade of AI missteps that prove one thing: tech can’t replace human judgment.
Like when the Chicago Sun-Times and Philadelphia Inquirer published summer reading guides created by generative AI that sent readers searching for books that do not exist.
Or when fashion brand Guess ran ads in Vogue featuring AI-generated models—much to readers’ dismay.
Or when the president shared an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope shortly after Pope Francis’s death. A move criticized as disrespectful by Catholic leaders.
Yikes.
So what are marketers, content creators, and comms pros to do? Toss AI from our toolkits entirely? Not at all. AI can be a powerful tool when used wisely. But it needs guardrails. And in my professional writing, these are the ones I follow:
Use AI to Speed Up the Process
AI can be a great partner when you’re short on time, stuck on structure, or trying to jumpstart ideas. Here’s where it shines:
Brainstorming topics or headlines: Need 10 ways to say “summer savings”? AI can crank them out in seconds.
Rewriting existing content: Want to make something more concise, formal, casual, or SEO-friendly? AI can help reshape what you’ve already written.
Proofing and polishing: Fixing grammar, simplifying language, or adjusting tone—AI can help you clean up a rough draft quickly.
Generating structure: It’s great at creating outlines or giving you a starting point for common formats like blog posts, emails, or FAQs.
Trust Your Gut for What Matters Most
AI doesn’t know your audience. It has no idea what’s sensitive, strategic, or off-brand. That’s where your judgment comes in.
Message framing: The heart of communication isn’t just what you say, it’s why and how. AI can’t read the room or navigate nuance.
Brand voice: AI can mimic tone, but it doesn’t know how to sound like you. It lacks the intuition and consistency that define a brand’s identity.
Storytelling: Good stories are emotionally intelligent. They have structure, stakes, and a point of view. AI doesn’t know how to build that.
Audience insight: AI doesn’t know what your audience already believes, how they feel, or what keeps them up at night. You do.
Build Human Judgment Into Your AI Workflow
Think of AI as a first draft generator, not a final decision-maker. Then treat AI outputs as checkpoints, where humans review, edit, and approve content before it goes live. Here’s a general framework to use as a starting point:
A guide for combining human expertise with AI in content creation
What’s next?
Need help determining if, when, and how AI fits into your content program? I’d love to help—let’s connect.