I have to be honest: I’ve really kept my head in the sand when it comes to understanding how AI can be used in my industry. Maybe I’m just a little too precious about the creative process, or maybe I’m afraid a robot is going to sound smarter than me, but I just cannot bring myself to try ChatGPT or research how I could potentially incorporate AI into my line of work. According to this Forbes article, the market for AI in marketing will reach $107.5 billion in 2028, up from an estimated $15.84 billion in 2021, and I’m over here clutching my paperbacks and scribbling ideas into a pastel-pink spiral notebook (I got a whole set and they’re super cute…take that, robot!), pretending like I don’t know that this technology is already well underway in its use. I think my apprehension may be somewhat selfish: I love the terrible process of brainstorming, writing, editing, pacing, writing more, deleting everything, stress-eating an entire bag of sour Haribo gummy bears, waking up in the middle of the night with the perfect closer, and sending the piece off in nervous anticipation of how it will be received. Whether it’s sponsored content, content marketing, a bylined article, copy for a wine label, or a guest byline on a friend’s newsletter, the journey of creating something is beautiful, wild, maddening, fulfilling and — wait for it — utterly human. You’re probably like “Michelle, AI could help make the process less maddening, it could be a collaboration!” to which I will shout at you from my lawn, shaking my fist at the sky, “But I want to go mad!!!!” I’m not discounting the benefits of tools, of collaboration, of learning and growing from someone (or something) that could supplement my career, but I also hold dear the human effort it takes to write something — the revelatory moments of insight and clarity; really hearing and holding what someone is relaying to you, and empathizing with the story to tell it properly; the realization you’re actually telling a bigger, much more meaningful story than when you’d originally begun; the very personal perspective and experience each writer brings to a project. I suppose some would label me “old-fashioned” for this rant, but I think it’s just indicative of my values: the human experience, connection, teamwork, empathy, feeling.