The AI Monotony: Is Your Content Losing Its Soul? A Veteran’s Guide to Balancing Tech and Humanity

I’ve been editing video since the mid-1990s, back when the process was analog and the barriers to entry were high. I’ve watched the profession evolve from a specialist’s craft to a DIY phenomenon. While this democratization is powerful, giving more people access than ever before, it has also fundamentally changed expectations and, in some ways, devalued the art of production.

As a communications specialist for over three decades, my career has been intertwined with technological advancement. I’ve always been an early adopter. In just the last five years, my team and I have used AI to help write proposals, design pitch decks, and craft media content. In 2024, I even composed a full, AI-image-generated campaign for a client that yielded fantastic engagement and digital sales.

So, let me be clear: I am not opposed to AI. When you’re a solopreneur or a small business, AI tools can be a lifesaver, boosting productivity and ensuring you meet your deadlines. The problem isn’t the tool itself.

My observation—and my growing concern—comes from scrolling through my social media feeds. It seems everyone has opted to let AI take the creative wheel.

The Scroll of Sameness: When Efficiency Kills Creativity

From AI-generated voiceovers to cookie-cutter post-production templates on TikTok and Instagram, everything is starting to feel… the same. The raw, human spark is being replaced by a polished, predictable, and ultimately monotonous algorithm. The very tools meant to help us stand out are making us all blend in.

This became crystal clear during a recent 90-day media campaign for our brand. We were driving traffic to our culture-based videos and podcasts by repurposing over a decade’s worth of editorial and documentary-style content. Our goal was to reinforce our identity as thought leaders, track conversations over time, and re-engage our audience with our journey.

Even with my experience, I knew this project would be a monumental task without AI’s assistance in sorting, transcribing, and identifying key moments. It was invaluable.

But as we began releasing the content, I noticed a strange phenomenon. My own timeline became flooded with clips using incredibly similar editing styles, cuts, and transitions. Was it the algorithm feeding me what it thought I wanted to see, or was it the fact that thousands of other creators were using the exact same AI products?

Frankly, it was both. And even my own scheduled posts, when viewed in succession, started to feel monotonous.

The Antidote: Re-injecting the Human Element

We knew we had to pivot. To break up the predictable rhythm of AI-assisted video clips, we began strategically inserting other forms of content:

• Photo dumps from recent events.
• New music releases from artists in our community.
• Live updates from cultural gatherings.

The effect was immediate. It added variety and, more importantly, it reinforced our authentic, human voice.

And that’s it. That’s the balancing point: maintaining your unique human voice while embracing the disruptive wave of technology.

A Lesson from the Past: Disruption, Adoption, and the New Norm

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a trend like this. Twenty years ago, we started a podcast. At the time, global statistics showed that only 4% of Black people were in the podcasting space. Now, that landscape has transformed. According to the latest research from Edison, 44% of Black Americans are monthly podcast listeners, a figure that outpaces the general population. The disruption led to adoption, and that adoption became the norm.

We were ahead of that curve, incorporating video into our podcast as early as 2006 and launching a 60-minute video-driven podcast, “Smart is the New Cool” with Dres the Beatnik, in 2008.

The lesson from then is the same as it is now with AI: with disruption comes adoption, and adoption eventually becomes the norm. The question is, what “norm” are we creating?

Your Work Is Not a Template

Let’s not trade our creativity and humanity for what’s easy. The power of AI is undeniable, but its place is as a co-pilot, not the pilot.

Use these tools to redefine, adjust, and build upon your unique vision. Use them to handle the grunt work so you have more time to be creative, not less.

Don’t let the tools define your work. Let your work define how the tools are used.