Using AI to generate content without adding human context simply transfers the intellectual effort to the recipient. This creates rework, confusion, and can damage professional relationships, explaining the low ROI seen in many AI initiatives.

The massive increase in low-quality, AI-generated prospecting emails has conditioned buyers to ignore all outreach, even legitimate, personalized messages. This volume has eroded the efficiency gains the technology promised, making it harder for everyone to break through.

In the age of AI, the new standard for value is the "GPT Test." If a person's public statements, writing, or ideas could have been generated by a large language model, they will fail to stand out. This places an immense premium on true originality, deep insight, and an authentic voice—the very things AI struggles to replicate.

While businesses are rapidly adopting AI for content creation and communication, Gen Z consumers have a strong aversion to anything that feels artificial or inauthentic. If this demographic can detect AI-generated content in sales or marketing, they are likely to ignore it, posing a significant challenge for brands targeting them.

Customers often rate a service higher if they believe significant effort was expended—a concept called the "illusion of effort." Even if a faster, automated process yields the same result, framing the delivery around the effort invested in creating the system can boost perceived quality.

In an era of mass automation, customers notice and value actions they know can't be easily scaled. Instead of another automated email, send a personal video via text, a handwritten note, or "lumpy mail." These high-effort signals cut through the noise and show genuine appreciation.

While systems are key in business, gratitude must remain a personal act. When appreciation is automated or delegated without genuine personal involvement, recipients can sense the lack of authenticity. This 'cheap' gratitude can do more harm than good, as it feels obligatory rather than heartfelt.

Research highlights "work slop": AI output that appears polished but lacks human context. This forces coworkers to spend significant time fixing it, effectively offloading cognitive labor and damaging perceptions of the sender's capability and trustworthiness.

In an AI-driven world, unique stylistic choices—like specific emoji use, unconventional capitalization, or even intentional typos—serve as crucial signifiers of human authenticity. These personal quirks build a distinct brand voice and assure readers that a real person is behind the writing.