I was recently derailed, not by a Slack notification or a meeting, but by the intoxicating scent of a fresh Patagonia catalog. Call me old-school, but that paper smell hits different. I was flipping through when this line stopped me cold:
“Patagonia sport ambassadors clock in on rivers, trails, sick lines and big swells. But when the waders, wetsuits and bibs come off is when their leave-it-better-than-they-found-it work begins.”
I felt that in my chest. It’s gritty, it’s soulful and it tells you exactly who they are without ever actually saying, “Hey, we sell jackets.”
Naturally, because I like to poke the bear, I asked AI to write a blog post about this. I even gave it the “Hey Girlfriend!” prompt to see if it could mimic a pulse. The result? It was… fine.
But if you know me, and you know SiteCrafting, you know that “fine” is a four-letter word. We are nothing if not innovative and creative. And let me be crystal clear: Outsourcing your soul to an algorithm is not the answer.
Here is why your brand, and your life, needs a human in the driver’s seat:
AI Can’t Feel Your Feelings
Believe me, I’ve tried to outsource the heavy lifting. I’ve looked for shortcuts through the grief of a parent in cognitive decline, the shifting tectonic plates of friendships and the chaotic rollercoaster of parenting.
AI can’t sit in the dark with you. It doesn’t know the weight of a Tuesday afternoon when everything feels like too much. If it can’t navigate the messy reality of being a human, why would you trust it to tell your human story?
Relationships Are the Heart of the Story
AI is great at processing data; it sucks at grabbing a coffee. Real storytelling comes from relationships, the kind built on trust, history and shared experiences. You can’t prompt an LLM to understand the “why” behind your business if it hasn’t walked a mile in your waders.
AI Can’t Read the Room (or the Gaps)
Great writing isn’t just about the words on the page; it’s about the nuance.
- The slight hitch in someone’s voice when they talk about their passion project.
- An eruption of silence during a difficult conversation.
- The thoughtful pause before a breakthrough.
AI fills every gap with more noise. Humans know that sometimes the most important part of the story is what isn’t being said.
The Bottom Line
Innovation isn’t about finding the fastest way to be mediocre. It’s about using every tool at our disposal to be more authentically ourselves. Use the tech, sure, but don’t let it take your bibs off for you.
Do you want your brand to be “fine,” or do you want people to feel it in their chests?
I think we both know the answer.
