AI can be tremendously helpful to our efficiency, but new data shows it may also be robbing us of our authentic voice and changing (and degrading) the way we communicate and connect with each other.<\/p>\n
In an era where people attribute so much to AI and in which disconnection and loneliness<\/a> are at record highs, retaining your voice, your personality and your identity will set you apart and will also help build relationships and protect authentic connections.<\/p>\n Losing Ourselves<\/p>\n Many people are using AI to communicate including about 22% of individual contributors and 52% of senior leaders, according to data from MNI Calculator.<\/a><\/p>\n The data is sobering. Fully 24% of people say their writing sounds more generic and 30% say they feel like they\u2019re writing in AI style, even if they aren\u2019t using AI support tools, according to MN Calculator data.<\/p>\n Their colleagues agree. Fully 45% of people who say they can tell when a message is AI-generated, and they have negative perceptions of co-workers who use it. <\/p>\n 44% of Gen Z says that when their colleagues use AI to communicate, it\u2019s because they didn\u2019t care enough to write a communique themselves. 22% of Gen X agrees. 27% trust an AI-generated message less than human-written25% can\u2019t tell what their colleague really thinks19% respect the person a little less<\/p>\n All this is according to MNI Calculator.<\/p>\n Even with lack of authenticity, people\u2019s writing may have improved, with 40% who say they\u2019ve reduced typos or problems in their writing. But 51% of people would prefer a real message that is imperfect instead of a flawlessly written AI message. Gen Z feels especially strongly, with 61% who say they prefer real over perfect, according to MNI Calculator data.<\/p>\n The sobering bottom line: 57% have felt a coworker\u2019s real personality disappear from their messages, according to MNI Calculator. Wow.<\/p>\n Maintaining Your Own Voice<\/p>\n So how can you maintain your authenticity and your own voice, and avoid the effects of AI gravity weighing down skills? <\/p>\n 1. Protect Your Passions<\/p>\n One of the first strategies is to use AI more for tasks that aren\u2019t core to who you are or what you do best, and to avoid using AI for your areas of strength or passion. Research shows that AI changes the ways we think, work and connect<\/a>. In fact, the more you use AI, the more likely your thinking is to deteriorate, so be selective and intentional.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a brilliant writer, don\u2019t offload to AI because you\u2019ll reduce your own skills and thinking process. On the other hand, if you struggle to string a sentence together, AI can be a fine partner. And if you love analysis, use AI more sparingly while you retain the work you love to do. But if you detest all-things detail, leverage AI to the fullest.<\/p>\n AI can do almost anything, but as humans we crave to connect, create and demonstrate curiosity. Treat these as primary areas you\u2019ll protect for yourself.<\/p>\n 2. Protect Your Authorship<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using AI to write, you can be selective about the AI coaching you receive. Perhaps you want to brainstorm an approach for a report or maybe you want to use AI to give you feedback on grammar or suggest where your flow could be better. Ensure that you always proofread and adjust, so the deliverables you share with others are still your own.<\/p>\n Avoid cognitive surrender in which you just give your work over to AI. If you do, research shows you\u2019ll feel less committed to it and even remember it less. <\/p>\n 3. Protect Your Research<\/p>\n AI can be helpful in unearthing material that you need as raw material and you may want to use AI to summarize a long report or interpret research that is confusing or unclear. <\/p>\n But always check and double check original sources, conclusions and content, because AI can hallucinate data or results. <\/p>\n 4. Protect Your Relationships<\/p>\n Also be sure to stay connected to colleagues. Data from FlexJobs<\/a> finds that only 20% of people feel connected to their colleagues and 50% have experienced miscommunication with their manager. <\/p>\n