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A.I. Accelerated


USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR SPEECH WRITING? HERE’S HOW TO OVERCOME AI’S
BIGGEST DEFECT

Artificial intelligence can’t hack authenticity. Here’s how to make sure you are
connecting with people even if you’re getting help from GenAI.

 * 
 * 
 * 

EXPERT OPINION BY JOEL SCHWARTZBERG, AUTHOR, "GET TO THE POINT” @THEJOELTRUTH

JAN 5, 2025

Photo: Getty Images

Generative AI is no longer a foreign concept to even the most tech-averse
professionals, and the tools making it available have been thoroughly applauded,
criticized, glorified, and demonized. Each of those takes is defensible,
depending on how the tool is being used and by whom, but there’s one editorial
quality GenAI can’t and will never be able to master: authenticity.



Artificial intelligence can read prompts and parrot human speech, but it can’t
read minds or access lived experiences. As a result, the outputs can’t escape
being generic. Think of GenAI like the greeting card aisle of a drugstore or
supermarket—a few cards come close to capturing your sentiment, but none speak
from your soul.

My colleague Allison Shapira, a longtime speaker and writer in the field of
leadership communications, has spent several years researching ways people can
use artificial intelligence to help them become more effective communicators
without sacrificing authenticity. She created an “AI Authenticity Loop” that
threads vital human communication roles like identifying specific needs,
detailed assessment, and capturing and sustaining an authentic voice, with
time-saving and productive AI capabilities like brainstorming, drafting,
research, feedback, and editing.


YOUR AUTHENTICITY AND EXPERTISE

“You can use AI tools to efficiently brainstorm, develop, fine-tune, and even
practice your message,” Shapira told me, “But make sure to filter and present it
through the lens of your unique authenticity, expertise, and humanity.”

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Digital marketing guru Neil Patel says authentic communications create impact by
meeting a need for transparency and humanity. “The more virtual our lives get,
the more we hunger after something genuine… an experience more honest and
transparent, more authentic,” he writes. “Being authentic means staying true to
who you are, what you do, and who you serve. In an environment in which more
human elements matter, it creates value and benefits for your followers.”

Patel’s list of communication authenticity benefits includes having a stronger
and more influential brand identity, having audiences better relate to and
understand your business, reinforcing your company’s reliability and
trustworthiness, and increasing your ability to turn audiences into advocates.

This Achilles heel in GenAI creates an opportunity—and an obligation—for
communicators to be more authentic. But is tactical authenticity an oxymoron?
Not necessarily. Here are five ways you can ensure you’re using GenAI
appropriately and being the “truest you” when expressing your ideas.




1. REMOVE PHRASES THAT DON’T SOUND LIKE YOU.

This tactic is harder than it seems because we read and write differently than
how we speak, but if something produced by AI sounds foreign or stilted coming
out of your mouth, that’s a red flag for inauthenticity. It’s also easier to
spot something you wouldn’t say than something you would.

As a speechwriter, I once proudly offered my client a creative play on words,
but she rejected it, saying, “I’m not this clever.” She struck it correctly
because even the most creative and compelling language can fall flat if
audiences perceive it as inauthentic. Always prioritize clear and personal over
clever and poetic.


2. DON’T READ YOUR SPEECH.

Reading from a word-for-word script—produced by AI or you—can severely diminish
your passion, energy, and eye contact, all of which are crucial to project
authenticity. Reading also changes the perception of your moment from a live
presentation to a staged performance.




You may think reading is the best way to be perfect and avoid nervousness, but
neither is relevant because perfection is not the goal, and your anxiety is more
about how you feel than what you say. Instead, stick to very basic notes—which
AI can help you create—that keep you on track and remind you of details you
might otherwise forget.


3. SHARE YOUR STORIES.

Most of us already recognize the power of personal stories to elevate
authenticity, but stories do more than captivate; they also increase oxytocin
levels, which correlate with feelings of trust, empathy, and generosity.
Recognize that the words “I” and “my”—and to a lesser degree, “we” and “our”—are
authenticity superconductors, commanding attention and building trust at the
same time. AI can suggest relevant stories, examples, and case studies
documented elsewhere, but they’ll never be as powerful as your own stories.


4. ALLOW IMPERFECTION.

Some communicators overfocus on perfection, misjudging how much their audience
will react to a word fumble, typo, clothing stain, tech snafu, or tussled hair.
Psychologists call this hypersensitivity to how you’re perceived by others “the
spotlight effect,” warning that it can lead to increased anxiety and excessive
apologies.

If you make a mistake, remember that what you gain in authenticity may be more
valuable than perfection points you lose. But don’t call attention to errors by
apologizing. Quickly correct yourself and move on. The mistakes AI makes are far
less forgivable.


5. USE AI TO SUPPORT YOU, NOT SCRIPT YOU.

To be clear, AI can save communicators valuable time and energy. You can use AI
to discover relevant research, compare and contrast ideas, copyedit your text,
create notes, suggest action steps, and do anything else you might have a
dutiful assistant do, but never treat AI text suggestions as gospel. As much as
these databases know, they will always fail at authenticity. Review and edit
every AI output to ensure it makes sense, matches your needs,
and—crucially—sounds like you.



The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of
Inc.com.

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