The Future of Marketing is Still Human

Everyone is talking about how AI is going to revolutionize marketing.

But here’s what almost no one is saying out loud:

The public doesn’t like AI. And they already don’t like marketing. So what do you think happens when you put those two together?

The Trust Problem

People don’t like marketing because they don’t trust it. They assume marketers stretch the truth, manipulate emotions, and do whatever it takes to get the sale. Now we’re asking them to trust that even more of this content is being created by artificial intelligence?

That distrust multiplies.

The AI Flood

The playing field is now open to everyone. Anyone can use the same tools, feed them the same prompts, and train them on the same recycled content. The output? The same voice. The same visuals. The same structure. The same style. Nothing stands out.

Yes, AI will help businesses create more content. But it’s also going to flood every feed with content that feels templated, soulless, and forgettable.

The Real Differentiator Is Still People

And that is why real people are going to be what cuts through.

Not avatars. Not voiceovers. Not AI-generated action figure versions of your job.

Actual humans. Talking. Showing up. Being real.

Because while AI is everywhere, audiences are getting smarter. They can sense when something is off. They can feel when it’s too polished. They know when they’re being sold to by a bot instead of being spoken to by a person.

Something Feels Off

Let’s talk about the hype for a minute.

Have you noticed that nearly all of the social content about AI is glowing? The only people constantly talking about it seem to fall into two camps:

People with a vested interest in AI
People trying to build personal brands as AI thought leaders

It’s all a little too polished. Too unanimous. Too clean.

I’m starting to believe OpenAI has been quietly running a massive undisclosed influencer campaign. There is no other explanation for the volume of perfectly positive praise, with none of the downsides ever being mentioned.

No one talks about how often ChatGPT gets it wrong. No one admits how weird and broken AI image generation can be.

Unless we’re talking about turning people into action figures. Because yes, it’s clearly trained well for that.

But ask it to do something actually useful? Like generate an image with copy on it? The results are a mess. Text is jumbled. Numbers are misformatted. The design is off. Yet somehow, no one ever mentions that part.

The Value of Human Experience

I’m not anti-AI. I actually think it’s a great tool.

It can help smart marketers work faster. It can organize your thoughts. It can assist with tasks that used to take hours. It can even make your good work better.

But it will not turn someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing into an expert.

ChatGPT will not land me a job as a software engineer next week. Because even if it gives me the right code, I still have to know how to use it. I have to know the right questions to ask. And I have to know when it gives me the wrong answer.

Like every other tool in the history of business, it only works if the person using it knows what they’re doing.

The Future Is Still Human

In a world full of artificially generated content and templated messaging, what people will respond to is simple:

Real people. People who show up. People who are genuine. People who actually connect.

AI will become more common. It will become more capable. But it will never replace trust.

The future of marketing is still human.

And no one is going to automate their way to trust.

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