#004 - Writing is thinking. Even with AI.
Reading is fuel.
Writing is motion.
But what happens when AI does part of that writing?
74% of new web content involves AI (Study by Ahrefs, May 2025).
Are we still creators, or prompt operators?
I wrestled with that question for weeks.
Let's get practical.
Do you call a sculptor a fraud for using chisels instead of fingernails?
Is a painter with an iPad less of an artist than one with a brush?
Are you less of a researcher for using Google instead of walking to a library?
Tools don't steal authorship. They scale it.
AI feels different because it thinks with you. That makes ethical choices harder.
Here’s my simple test.
Do you design the framework, write the initial draft, review the quality, and own the final output?
If yes, you're the author. If not, you’ve outsourced your judgment.
That’s not a tool problem. That’s impostor syndrome.
Now, the uncomfortable truth.
AI will be more powerful than us.
Human knowledge output is shrinking.
AI will keep compounding.
It will produce faster than we can read.
It will connect dots we don’t see.
We won’t understand the intelligence that emerges.
And yet, there are things only you can do:
- Explain the world to your customers and teams.
- Choose trade-offs.
- Define what "good" looks like.
- Draw the line between helpful and harmful.
You can't outsource that.
The same is true for AI Strategy Design.
You are the leader.
You cannot hand your strategy to a model and call it done.
Yes, use AI to draft, explore, and simulate.
But you still own it. Outcomes carry your name.
If you’re leading an AI agenda, your job isn’t to write every word. It’s to design the framework that keeps the content honest and the work aligned. Strategy is the scaffolding that makes AI useful. It’s how you protect clarity at speed.
You don’t need an army of consultants to build it.
You need time, focused attention, and a minimal set of artefacts that force good decisions. Set the North Star. Write the principles. Use AI in moderation...
Let me show you how:
👉 Building AI Strategy Part 2: Design with Clarity, Kill the Noise.
Your move.
New here? Subscribe to get these insights every week.
