The "Ick" of Artificially Generated Content & Why It Could Be Hurting Your Brand

“What’s the point if you make something that’s not you?”

Gloria Estefan

We’ve all experienced it by now—that subtle cringe when reading something that says all the “right” things… and yet somehow says nothing at all.

It’s clean. It's polished. It’s structured. It’s optimized.

And it’s completely flat and formulaic, and thus- relatively forgettable.

As AI-generated content is becoming more and more common, consumers are practicing the human art of discernment and responding (and rejecting) accordingly.

How do I describe AI writing and graphics? Flat, empty, basic, boring, vanilla, generic, mediocre, manufactured, uninspired, homogenized. Devoid of soul

Why Small Businesses Resort to AI

A few of the reasons small businesses are choosing AI content over human content.

• Cost savings: Choosing the fastest, cheapest route to produce content—often prioritizing budget over quality, originality, or long-term brand value.

• Laziness: Avoiding the effort of thinking, refining, and creating—outsourcing not just execution, but perspective and voice.

• Skill gaps: Using shortcuts to compensate for missing skills (writing, design, strategy) instead of developing or investing in them.
  

Hard truth: NONE of this really justifies replacing human work and devaluing creative labor.

Discernment is the ability to perceive what is true, aligned, and worth your attention—beyond surface appearances or noise.

The future will not belong to the people who do things fastest or cheapest. It will belong to the people who do them best. And the market will always define what 'best' is.

How to Tell If Content Is AI-Generated

AI-generated writing often pulls from generic SEO content that already exists across the internet so there is a pattern there. The result?

• Overly polished, generic tone

• Predictable structure

• Zero personality or point of view

It reads like content designed to perform, not connect. And surprise - many people can actually notice and sense that. And it turns them off.

You don’t need an AI plagiarism detector to recognize artificial content. Most of the time, your brain and intuition already knows...

However, here are some clear and obvious signs:

1. Formula Over Flow

• Numbered lists that feel templated

• Identical sentence structures repeated throughout

2. “Not X, but Y” Writing

• “This isn’t failure. It’s feedback.”

• “This isn’t hard. It’s growth.”

3. Choppy, Dramatic Sentences

• One-line paragraphs

• Fragmented thoughts

• Forced punchlines

4. Excessive Line Breaks

Designed for scrolling, but often overdone- to the point of distraction.

5. Uninspired

The formula:

• Hook

• Reframe

• Generic insight

• Predictable takeaway

It’s easy to read… but impossible to feel. It may sound cool at first glance—but lacks real true depth and personality. No quirks. No edge. No humanity.

6. Recycled Phrases

• “But here’s the thing…”

• “Let that sink in.”

• “And honestly?”

• "In this fast-paced world..."

Let’s be clear: AI isn’t the villain. The people who use it are.

The problem is when people:

• Accept the first draft without thought

• Remove themselves from the process entirely

• Trade perspective for convenience

• Don't invest in a prompt with detailed instructions or a point of view

Reminder: your audience doesn’t want to connect with “content.”They want to connect with you.

"They can steal your recipe but the sauce won't taste the same."

Your Values, Your Customer

Surely you’ve heard it before. The iron triangle of service: good, fast, cheap — pick two. You can never have all three, as the saying goes

Cheap + Fast = low quality

Good + Cheap = too slow

Fast + Good = expensive

For as long as there has been capitalism, there has been this battle of quality and exclusivity. Think of your spectrum of choices:

• Artificial Christmas tree vs real cut Christmas tree

• Generic vs brand-name pharmaceuticals

• Store-bought vs homemade

• Factory-produced vs hand-crafted

•  Prefabricated vs custom built homes

• Suburban life vs urban life

• City life vs rural living

• One size fits all vs tailor-fit

• Shortcut vs scenic route

• Online dating vs IRL meet-cute

• Competitive vs premium pricing

• Digital vs analog hobbies

• Affordable vs luxury hotels

• Faux vs real deal

• Corporate chain vs Boutiques

• Knock-off vs designer fashion

• Big box stores vs local business

• Universal vs Personalized advice

• Conventional vs organic produce

• Artificial vs natural ingredients

• Ordinary vs extraordinary

And now...

• AI-voice vs human-voice writing

• AI-generated vs human-designed graphics and imagery

Let's stop judging what we don't like, and start clarifying what we do like. There is room for all of it.

Your job as a consumer, and/or a maker, is to know yourself. What do you stand for? Figure out what you value, what you prefer, ans then put your resources and attention there. Ignore the rest. The market will ultimately decide what thrives and what dies, what stays and what goes.

Accept the hard truth that AI may be hurting your business. Smart, savy consumers can spot AI content a mile away, and MANY dislike it. Decide what matters.

Why Human Content Resonates

AI can mimic structure but it cannot replicate perspective. It cannot live your life.It cannot feel what you feel. It cannot take the risk of being wrong, bold, or original.

Human writing is:

• Deep

• Messy

• Specific

• Emotional

• Unexpected

It carries grey areas, lived experience and contradictions - just like humans themselves.

When your customer sees something from you that is artifically generated, get ready for their disappointment or disgust, and their skepiticsm. They'll inevitably ask themselves,“if you’ve cut corners here, where else are you doing it?"

Art should be 100% human-made, heart-made, soul-made. Art should not be artificially manufactured.

The Bigger Risk: Losing Your Voice

Reminder - you cannot outsource your copy or brand visual to a VA person, OR an AI machine, until you know your own brand voice and personality.

The more you outsource your thinking, the harder it becomes to recognize your own voice.

You start editing yourself to sound “better" or more refined, more clear or concise, however slowly you disappear from your own brand.

And while you may feel like you took a short-cut and saved hours of time or stress, your customer on the other end will be less likely to engage because it simply doesn't sound like you - the person they want to know.

Your voice is perhaps your greatest asset in business. Don't you want to make sure people can actually hear it?

“The most important trait of a writer is an authentic voice… Cherish your own voice. Don’t try to sound like anybody else.”

Anne Rice

Authenticity Is the Currency of the Future

Friendly reminder to all the fellow content creators and digital marketers out there:

More and more people (i.e. your future customers and clients) will continue to leave social media as it becomes saturated with aggressive ads and AI "slop".

We’re already seeing it:

• AI content = mass-produced, fast, fake, disposable

• Human content = intentional, rare, high-value

In a world flooded with sameness, authenticity becomes the primary differentiator.

People don’t want perfect. They want REAL.

• real thoughts

• real experiences

• real perspective

• real emotions

They want something they can feel and relate to: imperfect, messy, beautiful.

How you build your business matters. Cutting corners on creativity can impact trust, perception, and long-term loyalty from your customers.

"If you use AI, I'm not your customer. If you have an AI flyer for your event, I'm not going. If you use AI for your captions or design, I'm not buying."

Suggested Alternatives to AI

Remember, small businesses have operated for years before AI and still built successful brands. The reality is that AI isn’t a necessity—it’s a relatively recent convenience and you can operate without it. Having constraints and limited resources is actually the foundation of creativity!

1. DIY, But Human

• Use tools like Canva (without AI features)

• Create simple, clean designs

• Focus on clarity over complexity

A basic design with personality > a polished AI graphic with no soul

2. Start Simple

• Plain text posts

• Screenshots of real thoughts or notes

• Minimal visuals with strong messaging

Hard truth: You can't claim to "support small business" AND then outsource design, photography, and copywriting to AI.

3. Collaborate with Creatives

Whenever possible, try to support real people doing real creative work.When you invest in other small businesses, you strengthen the overall community and become a part of a creative ecosystem.

• Hire freelancers for small, specific projects

• Trade services if budget is tight

• Support emerging designers or students

• Keep money circulating within the small business ecosystem

4. Build a Recognizable Style Over Time

• Consistent fonts, colors, tone

• Repetition builds brand recognition more than “good design”

Old school ways to make content: Google Doc, Word Doc, Clipart, Microsoft Paint, Notes app, hand-writing or drawing.

5. Lean Into Personality

AI cannot replace or replicate real human-told content!

• Share your story

• Show behind-the-scenes

• Let things be a little imperfect

6. Invest Where It Matters Most

If budget is limited:

• Prioritize logo OR website OR messaging (not everything at once)

• Build in phases instead of replacing everything with AI

The internet doesn't need more jumbled words thrown together. It needs YOUR unique perspective, magick, and energy.

Information is easy to get, wisdom is rare.

Why To Hire Humans

Hire humans, not because they can simply produce copy, content, or graphics. Hire them because they are knowledge workers, problem solvers, thought leaders, storytellers, specialists and strategists that connect the dots others can't see. 

Hire them for....

• their unique perspectives.

• the way they see the world, and for their enduring fascination with the people in it. 

• their ability to create connection and nurture trust. 

• the ideas they come up with that you never even thought to ask for.

• their stories that enable all of us to learn, to find meaning, to share and make decisions every single day. 

Final Thought

The bottom line: You don’t need AI to build a brand. You need clarity, consistency, confidence, and community.

Use AI if you absolutely must, but use it wisely. It should support your voice—not replace it.

Because the moment your content stops sounding like you, it stops working. And when your content stops working, so does your business.

Let's remember what it means to be a small business owner: You teach yourself to do things. You learn until you slowly start to get better, or you eventually make enough money to outsource to a professional.

If you’re ready to create content that actually sounds like you—clear, compelling, and deeply human— Hire me. I create copy and content that connects, converts, and stands out in the sea of sameness.

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Erin Ratliff is a holistic business coach and consultant specializing in organic growth + visibility for heart-led, energy-sensitive soul-preneurs in pursuit of personal and planetary healing.

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