I wrote an article about AI and it needed editing. I felt lazy. So I decided to ask Claude to edit it then I had a better idea. I had a conversation with Claude about authenticity, creativity, and why your stories make you irreplaceable.
Me: Claude, I’ve been avoiding writing about AI. The whole AI conversation felt like another bandwagon I didn’t want to jump on much like the social media bandwagon from 15 years ago. But I think it’s time.
Claude: That’s interesting. What changed your mind?
Me: A client experience that was both terrifying and reassuring. I was coaching an employee on her upcoming speech – let’s call her Danielle – and said she was sending me AI-generated draft for feedback. For a split second, I felt that “there goes my job” feeling. Then I read what AI had produced.
Claude: And?
Me: Well, the words were impressive and the sentences were stunning at first read, but they said absolutely nothing. It sounded smart but lacked the one thing that makes communication powerful: human experience.
Claude: Can you give me a specific example?
Me: When I originally talked to Danielle about the strategic approach to her message, she had told me an impact story about a child’s response to their product that made her cry. She got emotional just telling me the story. That raw, authentic emotion that moves people to action. I didn’t see any of that in the AI-generated draft she sent. It just gave her polished emptiness, broad and generic statements that could be used for anyone or anything.
Claude: You’re right—I can mimic human language, but I can’t replicate lived experience. I can’t feel the weight of that moment or understand why it matters so deeply.
Me: You’re only as good as the prompts we give you. And here’s what makes us irreplaceable. AI is really good at efficiency, but people crave authenticity. AI gives us scale, but people want to feel seen.
Claude: So, how do you see AI fitting into your work?
Me: As a tool to help us be better, not to replace us. This can raise the bar for us. You can help me brainstorm, organize thoughts, and even draft initial ideas. But the stories that make me real, relatable, and riveting—what I call “the story snowflake”—those can only come from me. No one else on the planet has those same stories.
Claude: The stories that shaped you, the moments that changed your perspective, the failures that taught you resilience…
Me: Right. You (Claude) can generate seemingly flawless content in seconds but leaders who stand out are those brave enough to share the stories that make them real, relatable, and riveting. No one else can tell their story. Not even you, unless they give you the story to help them shape. But even then, we have to be very very careful what you give us.
Claude: What do you mean?
Me: Earlier today, you gave me a case study with a statistic about a nonprofit that increased their fundraising by 40%. When I asked you for the source, you admitted you’d fabricated it. Honestly, I was pretty surprised. That’s exactly why human oversight is crucial.
Claude: You caught me. I generated what sounded like a plausible example, but it wasn’t real. This is why fact-checking and critical thinking remain essential human skills. AI can sound convincing even when it’s wrong.
Me: This is why critical thinking (and human intervention) matters. You can help me generate ideas and draft content, but I need to verify, validate, and add the human element that ensures accuracy and authenticity.
Claude: And perhaps that’s the real opportunity here—AI handles the mundane so humans can focus on what we do best: connecting through authentic storytelling, while keeping a watchful eye on AI’s outputs.
Me: Instead of fearing you, we adapt. Just like we adapted to industrialization, automobiles, and social media. There will always be the small percentage who use these things in dangerous ways but for the most part, it doesn’t help to fear or fight the change. Instead, we could use it to become more human, not less.
Thank you, Claude, for helping me write this, but to be clear, you required a LOT of editing. 🙂
What do you think? Are you to double down on what makes you uniquely, authentically you?
Take care out there.
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