You ever read something and think,
“Did a human write this—or just someone who’s really good at prompting?”
Because let’s be honest: AI tools are everywhere, and so is their tone.
That crisp, overly coherent, neatly structured voice?
It’s becoming the default.
And for a while, it feels like clarity. Until it starts sounding like… nothing.
The Rise of Prompt-Optimized People
We’ve reached a strange moment in digital communication:
Being “good at ChatGPT” is now considered a soft skill.
And don’t get me wrong—it’s useful.
But being fluent in prompting doesn’t mean you have something to say.
We’re seeing it in brand decks, thought leadership posts, emails, lectures, even casual conversations.
Everyone’s optimized. Everyone’s coherent. Everyone sounds like they’re being auto-completed by a productivity app.
Prompt fluency is helpful—until it becomes a personality.
Your Brain Is Not a Template Library
There’s a quiet pressure to perform consistency.
Same tone. Same cadence. Same LinkedIn-worthy flow.
We’ve confused formatting for communication.
Because it’s safe. Predictable. Platform-friendly.
But the moment you start editing yourself to “fit” a system—whether it’s LinkedIn, Substack, ChatGPT, or Google Docs’ tone checker—you’re not writing anymore.
You’re formatting. You’re managing perception. You’re speaking in templates.
You know who loves templates?
Algorithms.
You know who forgets them immediately?
Humans.
AI Isn’t the Enemy. The Calibration Is.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t an anti-AI post.
I love tools. I use them every day.
But tools reflect the input they’re given. And they reinforce what they learn.
The more you use AI to sound “on-brand,”
the more your brand becomes a reflection of the system.
That’s not creativity.
That’s calibration.
Let the Weird Back In
Real communication has friction.
The slight tangent, the awkward metaphor, the word you reach for and miss—that’s what makes something human.
But friction isn’t rewarded.
Friction slows things down.
Friction confuses the model.
And that’s exactly why it matters.
The voice that doesn’t quite fit the prompt?
That’s the one worth listening to.
Want More? Read the Full Essay
If this hit a nerve, I unpack it all in more depth in my latest Substack post:
When the System Knows You Too Well: The Cost of Predictable Communication →
(Yes, that’s the one that made a few productivity bros unsubscribe. You’re welcome.)
