I don’t want to be another one giving lectures on AI, just sharing my real experience and would appreciate your insights.
I’ve been sitting with this for weeks, debating whether to share it. But if I’m being honest with you (and I always try to be), this feels too important to keep to myself.
After using AI in my business for multiple purposes, not only LLMs but many other tools. I’ve made an observation that’s been weighing on me. And maybe you’ve felt it too.
The Disconnect I Started Noticing
Each time I use AI, especially when I’m highly reliant on it, I feel disconnected, emptied, unfulfilling despite getting the best results. It’s strange, the output is better, faster, more polished. The presentations look professional. The copy sounds engaging. The strategies seem solid. But something feels hollow.
When I do things on my own, I even accomplish less, but I feel more fulfilling. There’s a real sense of achievement, a genuine craft that emerges. It’s imperfect, slower, sometimes clunky. But it feels like mine. It carries my fingerprints, my thought patterns, my quirks.
I started wondering: is this just nostalgia? Am I being stubborn? Or is there something deeper happening here?
The Breaking Point
Recently I found an AI tool that could talk on my behalf with my real face, real voice. It looks like you, sounds like you, but it’s not you. It felt amazing in the start; I thought finally I could be in videos. Because of my introverted nature, I can’t do real ones easily. The camera makes me freeze. My words get mixed up. So I started working on this AI version of myself.
I spent days perfecting it. Getting the voice right. Making sure the facial expressions matched. It was technically impressive. The AI-me was more confident, more articulate, more engaging than the real me.
Guess what happened? It questioned my credibility, my values, what I stand for. It’s not me, it’s fake, it’s manipulation. Those who know me here know I hardly share pictures. Sometimes when I do, they’re repetitive, authentic moments. Nothing polished or performative.
But here I was, about to unleash a synthetic version of myself into the world. A version that would never stumble over words, never show uncertainty, never have an off day.
I asked myself: what is the end goal? Is it money? Fame? Becoming another influencer with perfectly crafted content? The answer was clear: no. Then why was I doing this?
The Realization
I stopped. Right there. Mid-project. I decided something I’m sharing openly with you: I don’t want to lose my imperfect humanity, my identity I am born with, my essence I call home when I am lost.
I don’t want to chase more, I want to go back to my home, my essence. And that’s exactly what I want to help others do too.
Someone told me I’m “not adaptable.” That I’m resisting progress. It’s not that, in my view. I think the greatest obsession I have in life is learning, getting better every single day. I read constantly. I experiment. I fail and try again. But in that process, I want to get closer to my soul, not further from it. This new trend feels like it’s taking me away from that core part of who I am.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized: we’re not just using these tools. They’re shaping us. They’re changing how we think, how we create, how we see ourselves.
What I’m Seeing Around Me?
I’ve been observing people in my network smart, creative people becoming increasingly dependent on AI for everything. Their original thinking seems to be atrophying. They can’t write a simple email without running it through ChatGPT first. They’ve forgotten how to sit with uncertainty, how to struggle through problems, how to trust their own instincts.
There are studies emerging that show people using AI and those relying primarily on their minds have significantly greater differences in thinking patterns, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. We’re not just outsourcing tasks; we’re outsourcing parts of ourselves.
And I’m not anti-AI. I use it. But I’m starting to see the difference between using it as a tool versus letting it replace my thinking entirely.
My New Approach
Here’s what I’ve decided: I will rely less on tools, more on my little creativity. I don’t have large amounts of data, but I’m okay with the little I have. I will use AI just as a supporting assistant 20 to 40% max, but my ideas will be mine.
My story will be mine. My experiences will be genuine. My failures will not be exaggerated. My achievements won’t be to show off but to inspire.
This newsletter? I wrote it myself. It took longer. It’s probably less polished than an AI could make it. But it’s mine. Every awkward transition, every imperfect sentence, every genuine thought, it comes from me.
When I create something now, I ask myself:
“Could I defend every word, every idea, every insight as genuinely mine?” If the answer is no, I step back.
A Question for All of Us
I believe we have to become more intentional with AI. You can’t see how dangerous it could become if we’re not careful, not dangerous in a dramatic sci-fi way, but dangerous to our sense of self, our creativity, our ability to think independently.
Are we becoming more capable, or are we becoming more dependent? Are we using AI to nurture our humanity, or are we slowly replacing it?
Don’t lose your humanity. Come back to your essence before it’s too late.
This reflection is for those who are driven by heart, or in my mentor’s words:
“People with a heart that thinks too.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts. How are you navigating this balance? Have you noticed this disconnect in yourself or others? Share your thoughts in comments and let me know, I read every response myself.
