Why It's OK to Use AI Minimally (Or Not At All)
“Get busy living or get busy dying.”
To paraphrase a lot of the AI adoption alarmism that’s rampant on LinkedIn, and other places where marketing and technology professionals gather, you could substitute “living” in the quote above (from one of my favorite movies) with “using AI”.
It’s true that many businesses that are on the early adoption side of AI — who are proactive in testing solutions to see where it saves them time and manpower — will cut costs and improve their bottom line.
However, from what I’ve seen in the marketplace since ChatGPT came on the scene at the end of 2022, AI implementation is not a demarcation line that automatically determines business success or failure.
I recently changed my position on AI implementation in my business
In January, based on calls I had with some web developers in late 2024, I launched a suite of digital marketing services — most of which were heavily reliant on AI solutions for client delivery.
While competition was fierce for digital content-production services like mine, the main reason that I decided a few weeks ago to shutter this services area was the heavy water usage to cool the servers used for AI solution queries. (Did you know that an image generated on ChatGPT can consume as much as 2 liters of water? 🤯)
Not wanting to be part of the environmental problem is only one reason to intentionally limit AI usage in your work
Other reasons that I, and other business owners I talk to, are factoring into the AI adoption equation include:
Privacy concerns. Speaking for myself, I don't want queries I input that reveal my strategies and tactics to be used by AI solution owners — or by bad actors who might hack the AI solutions I use in the future.
The need to keep my mind sharp. Ever since I started my communications career as a proofreader for a nonprofit organization, I’ve prided myself on my ability to multitask. As I get older, that skill is even more important to my mental age. If I rely too much on AI in my work, I won’t have as many neurons firing in the ol’ noggin.
An opportunity to stand out in the marketplace. In a world where everyone is using AI, proudly touting the customer or client advantages of human-powered delivery — by experts with decades of experience, depending on the size and qualifications of the execution team — can be a competitive advantage. That’s not just wishful thinking — I’m seeing more firms in the marketing space put a definitive line in the sand here, such as this one.
Let’s talk about AI for cold digital outreach for a minute
Have you gotten an email or direct message that has this format?
Hi [NAME],
It’s so great that you [point about your experience and/or results that AI pulled from your website or LinkedIn profile]. That’s awesome!
I’d like to share how I can [continues with pitch, which more often than not is not tied to my current products/services slate or immediate business needs…].
If you haven’t, you will soon. These pitches are almost entirely created by AI solutions that scrape leads; some will also do the work of crafting and sending messages on your behalf.
For businesses that use AI solutions for cold outreach like this, they’ve saved a ton of time.
But…not really. As more AI-driven pitches go out, ever more discerning humans spot these a mile away. For the sender, this means a time investment is still needed to adjust the vast majority of pitches that don’t work, and to curate AI-selected lead pools in order to filter down to the leads that are most likely at the stage of buying or considering making a purchase.
This is just one of many examples of using AI and automation to make marketing easier and faster — but which doesn’t necessarily translate to a better experience for your lead, or eventual customer or client. The authentically human journey of your buyer — and their needs at any given moment related to what you offer — should be your North Star when it comes to deciding how much AI factors into your work.
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