Don’t Let The Robots Write Alone

Robots and Writing. Credit: Rich Baker

It’s not AI’s fault.

We’ve been sanding the edges off meaning for a long time. Probably since the first cave painter tried to warn the group about a sabre-toothed tiger, and someone else insisted on adding a decorative handprint.

The medium may have changed. But the impulse? Still there. (With apologies to Marshall McLuhan.)

You know the kind of email. All the right words. Structured. Polished. Approved.

And… flat.

No spark. No weight. Just another message in a long, unreadable line. AI didn’t invent that kind of writing. Humans did. We’ve literally been turning messages into wallpaper for years!

But now it’s faster. Easier. AI can make anything sound like it went through comms, legal, and a thresher - without us lifting a finger. Which is efficient.

But so is a vending machine.

And that’s the real risk. Not that AI replaces us. But that we replace ourselves.

Not because we’re lazy. But because we’re tired. Because “good enough” gets signed off. Because everyone’s moving too fast to notice what got lost somewhere around rewrite number fifty.

And bit by bit, we forget what good even feels like.

Writing that lands isn’t clever. It’s clear.

It’s a sentence that feels obvious once you’ve finished it, but took three false starts, a small existential crisis, and a passive-aggressive coffee to write.

It’s knowing when to say less.

When to add pause.

And when to quietly bin the upbeat version because the room’s still bruised from last week’s update. That’s not wordsmithing.

That’s care.

And it’s what the robots can’t do. They don’t know your team’s stretched. They don’t hear what wasn’t said at the Q&A. They don’t sense when a line is technically fine, but emotionally… off.

Thankfully. Or I'd be out of a job. I suppose I could always go back to injecting chickens with brine - assuming that's still a thing.

So what does “making it land” actually mean?

It means spotting the gap between what’s written and what’s felt. It means catching the line that’s grammatically fine but emotionally tone-deaf. It means changing a sentence because you wouldn’t believe it if it landed in your inbox.

It’s not about who typed it. It’s about who thought it through.

Three things to remember when writing with AI:

1. If your thinking’s fuzzy, your writing will be too.

AI can polish. But it can’t clarify.

Example: “We’re moving to a new platform that will help us streamline processes and improve the customer experience.”

Ask AI to zhuzh it up and you’ll get: “We’re excited to launch a cutting-edge platform that will transform our operations and deliver a seamless customer journey.” (Yes - that is how you spell zhuzh. Who knew?)

Great tone. Still says nothing.

2. AI can write the line. It can’t make the call.

You can’t outsource your judgement.

“Say something reassuring about the changes coming in July.” AI might give you:

“We’re confident these changes will create new opportunities and help us work more effectively together.”

Fine. Safe. But… what are the changes? Where’s the substance? The AI filled the silence. But (like last time) it was your silence to fill.

3. Polished doesn’t always mean right.

AI’s great at upbeat. But tone without context is just noise in a nice suit. Say you’re introducing a new camera-on policy. Ask AI to keep it friendly and it might give you:

“We’re encouraging everyone to switch their cameras on to support stronger collaboration and connection.”

Technically fine. Unless half the team are quietly dreading it. Then it just feels like spin.

Now try this:

“We know camera use has become a personal choice — and we understand the reasons behind that. From July, we’re asking teams to agree what good looks like together. Here’s what that means…”

Still clear. Still directional. Just… less smug about it.

So what now?

Use the tools. They’re fast. Smart. Genuinely helpful. But don’t forget how to write.

Or worse — how to notice. Because internal comms isn’t about getting messages out. It’s about earning the right for people to care.

That’s not about speed. Or polish. Or spin.

It’s about judgement.

And AI doesn’t have that.

You do.

In the end, it’s about elevating our craft — not automating it. Blending human creativity with AI’s potential.

So yes, let’s explore what the partnership can do. Just don’t let the robots write alone.

Next time: how to build AI into your writing workflow — without losing your voice.