It seems like what happens is: board says "We need to use AI" to C-Suite < C-Suite says to managers "We need to use AI" < Managers say to teams "We need to use AI" and not a single person on that chain takes the time to think critically about what that actually looks like as it relates to the business.
this is vvvvvv timely, and demoralizing is absolutely correct. I'm a copywriter contemplating leaving the industry bc the art of feedback has been completely outsourced. ppl making 3x my salary as ECD/CDs to ask AI to give creative feedback. it's mind boggling
I've experienced the same thing as a copywriter! Higher-ups weren't picking up the nuances of specific words I deliberately chose to use and instead, just threw my work into an AI machine, which always spat out bad, repetitive copy. And the feedback that CDs were giving were vague because...they were using AI to rewrite my copy.
Literally talked half my team off a ledge for this exact reason only last week. What has happened to the collective leadership consciousness? As a VP I find myself defending my 20 years of experience against a chat bot that is wrong more often than it’s not. I feel like there must be some digital literacy issues that are happening across the generations with Millennials and Gen Z inherently skeptical and their bosses of older more trusting generations just generally adopting and accepting this new tech as is.
Love that this started on r/Marketing. Reddit is always where the unfiltered truth surfaces first. The line that got me was the marketer who said "it feels like our bosses are more intent on using AI to take away the fun parts of our job instead of automating the more menial tasks." That's the whole problem. The tool isn't the issue, it's the complete absence of strategy around how it's being rolled out. Same pattern I keep seeing with brands on platforms: the impulse to adopt is there, the thoughtfulness about why and how is missing.
oh my god is this is rampant on my team. everyone was all in on cursor a few weeks ago but now we got the new girl on the block, claude, and different people are pushing their fav tool. I already have a lot to do and balancing AI of it all is really increasing burnout among me and other folks I work with.
Another reason to spend more time in nature is to shake off the mental clinging to AI. People want to outsource intelligence, not realizing that AI is a technical tool, but we are II - Infinite Intelligence.
This really comes at the right time for me. I work in an agency, we are five people (in total) and my two managers are beyond obsessed with AI, not only the most popular ones but with anything that AI can do. Every day is an endless “OMG this is so fire!” “This AI tool is amazing”. They have implemented a sort of AI assistant in Substack (it never worked). They have integrated Claude with Shopify and Klaviyo to create monthly reports - something that could be useful and save me time, but in these reports AI is telling me what to do next and what strategy I should implement. The problem is that AI doesn’t have the full context, doesn’t understand REAL human behaviour, so the suggestions are wrong (most of the time) and I have to double check the data extracted. In the end it’s a waste of time.
They even went full on with creating images for an entire website (with models and products), after months and many $$$$ they realised the website is missing that “human touch” (something my colleagues and I have been saying since the beginning).
It’s so frustrating being “forced” to use AI when I just want to take 1000 steps back, use my brain and my 13 years experience and common sense.
I'm my own boss, so this isn't an issue, but I've worked on rebrands for clients and their use of AI took over the process, and their work, to the point to that the thing we were working on became unworkable and then it became "but you didn't deliver" and so I would take my money and note that months later, nothing had changed because the work is never ending. AI is a make work project for all the wrong reasons.
I'm self-employed so I don't have a boss, but I've found that a lot of clients think AI can do much more than it can actually do. I can't tell you how many times I have been given AI-generated copy or content with the instruction to just "make it sound more human," but what I'm given is TOTALLY unusable. For example, a 1,000 word informational blog post that contains almost zero correct information. Another example would be ad copy that communicates nothing about the product. These AI-generated pieces always have other problems as well, like sentences that don't make sense, a very strange tone, or the worst article formatting you've ever seen. These latter problems can be fixed with a lot of tedious work, but core problems--like an informational piece that only contains misinformation--are not fixable. You have to start over.
But when I talk to clients about why the AI-generated content they've given me is not usable, it's like they can't understand how that's possible. They've heard that AI is the best tool for research, so how could it produce so much wrong information? AI is smarter than a grad student, so why wouldn't the copy it produces be good? It's only the old AI that hallucinates, so why would the writing from the new model still have hallucinations? It's exhausting to have conversations about this over and over, especially when I also have to try to politely dance around the fact that the client clearly never actually read the AI-generated text they sent me.
I think the root of this issue is that AI companies market their products as being able to do many things they absolutely cannot do. Business owners believe them, and also feel pressure to quickly adopt AI due to fear-based messaging about "getting left behind" if they don't. Then, the rest of us are left dealing with the consequences of having to try to use a tool that does not work for the tasks we need to get done. It's like being told you have to chop down a redwood tree with a butter knife. Using power saws is a thing of the past. Butter knives are the future of cutting down trees. You're having trouble cutting down the tree with your butter knife? Are you sure you're using it right?
It's definitely a crazy-making and demoralizing situation. Like other commenters, I've thought about switching industries because of this issue.
I've had my share of frustrating AI experiences, but the worst was when a CD made an AI chatbot to review a client's legal requirements. It was made using my name and voice because I was the team expert.
It was SO dehumanizing and devaluing. Got leadership to shut it down, but AI seeped into the creative process just like everyone else has described. Never with clear guidance or guardrails. That was always "on the way".
So I guess I feel better that I'm not alone in feeling this way. 😅 Gonna go check out that thread. Thanks for this. Always appreciate your analysis and insight.
I feel this so much! It's almost as if the managers are more secure than the rank and file employees, and their insecurity is pushing them to over-rely on AI. Or they're so far away from what's actually happening on the ground, that they're blind to what's good work.
It seems like what happens is: board says "We need to use AI" to C-Suite < C-Suite says to managers "We need to use AI" < Managers say to teams "We need to use AI" and not a single person on that chain takes the time to think critically about what that actually looks like as it relates to the business.
I think so
100% accurate.
this is vvvvvv timely, and demoralizing is absolutely correct. I'm a copywriter contemplating leaving the industry bc the art of feedback has been completely outsourced. ppl making 3x my salary as ECD/CDs to ask AI to give creative feedback. it's mind boggling
extremely frustrating!
I've experienced the same thing as a copywriter! Higher-ups weren't picking up the nuances of specific words I deliberately chose to use and instead, just threw my work into an AI machine, which always spat out bad, repetitive copy. And the feedback that CDs were giving were vague because...they were using AI to rewrite my copy.
I so feel your pain, Tiffany :'(
also, RIP plays on words (0 BCE - 2026). any language with musicality or bounce gets pummeled.
😭😭😭
Literally talked half my team off a ledge for this exact reason only last week. What has happened to the collective leadership consciousness? As a VP I find myself defending my 20 years of experience against a chat bot that is wrong more often than it’s not. I feel like there must be some digital literacy issues that are happening across the generations with Millennials and Gen Z inherently skeptical and their bosses of older more trusting generations just generally adopting and accepting this new tech as is.
Love that this started on r/Marketing. Reddit is always where the unfiltered truth surfaces first. The line that got me was the marketer who said "it feels like our bosses are more intent on using AI to take away the fun parts of our job instead of automating the more menial tasks." That's the whole problem. The tool isn't the issue, it's the complete absence of strategy around how it's being rolled out. Same pattern I keep seeing with brands on platforms: the impulse to adopt is there, the thoughtfulness about why and how is missing.
right. why do people get a two week training to use a tool like asana, but none for ai? makes no sense.
Exactly. The double standard is wild. Every other tool gets an onboarding plan. AI just gets "figure it out and use it more."
oh my god is this is rampant on my team. everyone was all in on cursor a few weeks ago but now we got the new girl on the block, claude, and different people are pushing their fav tool. I already have a lot to do and balancing AI of it all is really increasing burnout among me and other folks I work with.
Another reason to spend more time in nature is to shake off the mental clinging to AI. People want to outsource intelligence, not realizing that AI is a technical tool, but we are II - Infinite Intelligence.
This really comes at the right time for me. I work in an agency, we are five people (in total) and my two managers are beyond obsessed with AI, not only the most popular ones but with anything that AI can do. Every day is an endless “OMG this is so fire!” “This AI tool is amazing”. They have implemented a sort of AI assistant in Substack (it never worked). They have integrated Claude with Shopify and Klaviyo to create monthly reports - something that could be useful and save me time, but in these reports AI is telling me what to do next and what strategy I should implement. The problem is that AI doesn’t have the full context, doesn’t understand REAL human behaviour, so the suggestions are wrong (most of the time) and I have to double check the data extracted. In the end it’s a waste of time.
They even went full on with creating images for an entire website (with models and products), after months and many $$$$ they realised the website is missing that “human touch” (something my colleagues and I have been saying since the beginning).
It’s so frustrating being “forced” to use AI when I just want to take 1000 steps back, use my brain and my 13 years experience and common sense.
Ugh I am sorry!
I'm my own boss, so this isn't an issue, but I've worked on rebrands for clients and their use of AI took over the process, and their work, to the point to that the thing we were working on became unworkable and then it became "but you didn't deliver" and so I would take my money and note that months later, nothing had changed because the work is never ending. AI is a make work project for all the wrong reasons.
wow
YES yes yes It’s DEPRESSING ME OUT
i'm sorry!
I'm self-employed so I don't have a boss, but I've found that a lot of clients think AI can do much more than it can actually do. I can't tell you how many times I have been given AI-generated copy or content with the instruction to just "make it sound more human," but what I'm given is TOTALLY unusable. For example, a 1,000 word informational blog post that contains almost zero correct information. Another example would be ad copy that communicates nothing about the product. These AI-generated pieces always have other problems as well, like sentences that don't make sense, a very strange tone, or the worst article formatting you've ever seen. These latter problems can be fixed with a lot of tedious work, but core problems--like an informational piece that only contains misinformation--are not fixable. You have to start over.
But when I talk to clients about why the AI-generated content they've given me is not usable, it's like they can't understand how that's possible. They've heard that AI is the best tool for research, so how could it produce so much wrong information? AI is smarter than a grad student, so why wouldn't the copy it produces be good? It's only the old AI that hallucinates, so why would the writing from the new model still have hallucinations? It's exhausting to have conversations about this over and over, especially when I also have to try to politely dance around the fact that the client clearly never actually read the AI-generated text they sent me.
I think the root of this issue is that AI companies market their products as being able to do many things they absolutely cannot do. Business owners believe them, and also feel pressure to quickly adopt AI due to fear-based messaging about "getting left behind" if they don't. Then, the rest of us are left dealing with the consequences of having to try to use a tool that does not work for the tasks we need to get done. It's like being told you have to chop down a redwood tree with a butter knife. Using power saws is a thing of the past. Butter knives are the future of cutting down trees. You're having trouble cutting down the tree with your butter knife? Are you sure you're using it right?
It's definitely a crazy-making and demoralizing situation. Like other commenters, I've thought about switching industries because of this issue.
Just nodding my way through this entire thing. Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh — pls explain the C-suite pay gap to me.
🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️
I've had my share of frustrating AI experiences, but the worst was when a CD made an AI chatbot to review a client's legal requirements. It was made using my name and voice because I was the team expert.
It was SO dehumanizing and devaluing. Got leadership to shut it down, but AI seeped into the creative process just like everyone else has described. Never with clear guidance or guardrails. That was always "on the way".
So I guess I feel better that I'm not alone in feeling this way. 😅 Gonna go check out that thread. Thanks for this. Always appreciate your analysis and insight.
Alarming!
The chatbot was made using your name and voice??
Yes!!!! Fortunately it was only my written tone of voice but it was still unbelievable. 😭
an outsourced gut instinct sounds scary 😭 ai doesn’t have the human touch for that
not at all
I feel this so much! It's almost as if the managers are more secure than the rank and file employees, and their insecurity is pushing them to over-rely on AI. Or they're so far away from what's actually happening on the ground, that they're blind to what's good work.
correct
Great piece, and I just want to say that I really loved the art in this one!
thanks john!
Severe dereliction of duty from these managers and CSuite, my goodness! 😱