There are lots of people who say the future of everything is AI.

I like to look at everything with this slightly skeptical view. It helps me be more objective about figuring out the best way to use something without sticking my head in the sand and saying, “AI is never going to happen.”

AI is not capable of original thought. It’s only capable of providing you things that it knows of and that exist. It might be original to you. It might be some- thing that’s outside your perspective or something you don’t have the resources to see, but it is still group thinking at the end of the day.

Another big danger of AI is that ev- erything sounds the same. The more you use it, the more you realize they’re giving you the exact same answer every single time. The headline is exactly the same with a couple of words shifted. The format for the descriptions is exactly the same every single time.

That is 90% of TikTok and Instagram out there. They find a tip somewhere and then they reiterate it in their own way. They might be doing it in a creative and fun way, and they’ve got their followers, but they aren’t the thought leaders. They didn’t originate those ideas. That is the opposite of thought leadership. It sounds more like thought followership.

Thought leaders are very rare because they require a different mode of think- ing, which is something that cannot happen in AI. Bringing originality into the world is necessary. Your original voice needs to shine through the digital layer supported by the tools.

True thought leaders are going to be- come the future of value for AI to tap into to find out what’s new, what’s happen- ing, and what the thoughts are on this process, and then start to group those thought leaders together and say, “Is this a trend or a new direction? Does this make sense? Is this likely to happen?”

Your thought leadership and the fact that you’re putting it out in podcasts and videocasts consistently and constantly is the way to play with AI in a great way by making sure that you are a relevant part of that future conversation. The power of your original voice becomes a part of the digital landscape.

When you’re showing up on camera, and it is truly your voice and your face, that in and of itself is where more reward is going to happen with an audience than using AI-generated stuff.

To be clear, we’re not negative or down on AI or ChatGPT at all. We’re just saying, “Podcasters, you have something special with the message you’re bringing to the world that is going to be recog- nized and even more valuable because it is unique.”

Influence is only going to happen faster in this AI-driven world when the bots find someone with original thoughts, voices, and ideas. Only humans make those connections.

My excitement about the AI market is that it can take away the mundane stuff that I don’t want to do. How can I harness AI to make everyone’s lives better? How can we train it? How do we make sure that your original voice and your unique- ness shine through in that process?

We’re taking all these pieces of infor- mation, synthesizing them, and coming up with an original view of the world on what you should do in your business and how you can help people. This is how you will sell your books and courses and your original perspective in an AI world.

About the author

Tracy Hazzard is a seasoned media expert with over 2600 interviews from articles in Authority Magazine, BuzzFeed, and her Inc. Magazine column; and from her multiple top-ranked videocasts and podcasts like The Binge Factor and Feed Your Brand – one of CIO’s Top 26 Entrepreneur Podcasts. Tracy brings diverse views from what works and what doesn’t work in marketing, branding and media from thought leaders and industry icons redefining success around the globe. Tracy’s unique gift to the podcasting, marketing, and branding world is being able to identify that unique binge-able factor – the thing that makes people come back again and again, listen actively, share as raving fans, and buy everything you have to sell.