How AI Shapes Authentic Thought Leadership

AI isn’t killing communications professionals. It’s separating the strategic from the tactical. My July post about traditional PR being broken sparked some interesting commentary, especially around how AI will change the trajectory of PR. I like to think of AI as gaining five new staff members overnight. They're incredibly efficient, never complain, and work around the clock. But like any new hire, they need management by someone who actually knows what they're doing. The best results happen when you blend AI capabilities with human expertise. AI delivers the vanilla version: technically correct, perfectly formatted, utterly forgettable. A skilled communications professional adds the strategic seasoning that turns generic content into persuasive messaging that moves audiences. This nuance is easy to miss. Many companies are using AI as a replacement rather than an amplifier. You end up with content that sounds like it was written by a committee of robots - which, technically, it was. Instead, smart leaders should approach AI integration in three ways: 1️⃣ First, get everyone trained on AI tools, not just the communications team. 2️⃣ Second, use AI for message alignment across internal organizations, so that you stay consistent (and strategic) in your talking points. 3️⃣ Third, treat AI as an additive capability, not a cost-cutting crutch. The companies that will thrive are those that recognize AI's limitations alongside its strengths. It excels at research, drafts, and consistency but struggles with nuance, timing, and audience psychology, precisely the areas where human expertise becomes most valuable. Your competitors who think AI can replace strategic communications thinking will produce increasingly generic, tone-deaf messaging. Meanwhile, organizations that use AI to enhance human strategy will dominate the conversation. See AI as multiplication rather than substitution, and remember that the human touch is your competitive advantage.

It's time for thinking from a new generation. My 18-year-old son, Wyatt Wunker, recently explained his views on how leadership will change in the rapidly-approaching AI Age. His thoughts are profound and prescient, so I’m sharing them here: For well over a century, the evolution of technology has been a source of disquiet. Current conversations about AI mirror the fear that humans can and will be replaced by more advanced systems. But this is a gross misunderstanding of both technology and humanity. Rather than replacing humans, AI will reshape what is required of us, especially our leaders. Far from sidelining humans, AI highlights what makes us indispensable—our capacity to understand what people need, to respond to unpredictability, and to inspire others. First, AI promises efficiency and precision, but it stumbles when confronted with the murky depths of group dynamics. It can sift through mountains of data, spotting trends that elude the sharpest minds, but it remains oblivious to the subtleties that shape public sentiment. Take the aftermath of Watergate, for example, when distrust in leadership soared. AI might analyze shifts in polls or track skepticism across media, but it cannot bridge the gap between a disillusioned public and those in power. Only human leaders can face the anger and discontent, listen to the grievances, and seek to rebuild trust. That requires a sensitivity to human emotion and social interactions that no algorithm can replicate. As AI threatens livelihoods, upends how we access information, and forces re-consideration of what we truly trust, leaders will have to understand and be more sensitive to what people need more than ever. Decisiveness and responsiveness in the face of unpredictability are also human qualities. AI excels where there is an abundance of data, but when faced with uncertainty and data scarcity, its strengths become limitations. Data is inherently about the past. Leaders can use AI as one starting point for predictions, but they must retain the flexibility to adapt when reality deviates from AI’s extrapolations. They must recognize when to trust the numbers and when to rely on judgment. Beyond this, vision and inspiration are essential to leadership, and they are deeply human qualities. Leaders imagine new possibilities and rally others to pursue them. It takes creativity to break new ground, like Martin Luther or Max Planck, and fortitude to shape history, as Churchill and JFK did. These qualities cannot be captured by calculations. AI, by its nature, is derivative. It can mimic what has been done before but it cannot create the entirely new. Leaders, however, must envision new possibilities and rally people around them. Algorithms cannot produce those outcomes. Ironically, the AI Age will call in unprecedented ways for all these qualities, even while AI itself fails to deliver them. In short, AI demands leadership, and it’s leaders who lead. AI does not.

🤖 The Leadership Charade: When AI Makes You Sound Authentic (But You're Not) Imagine streamlining annual reviews with cutting-edge AI. Sounds revolutionary, right? But at what cost to employee connection and authenticity? "I automated my team's performance reviews using AI to save time." An executive client shared this with me recently, beaming with pride at their efficiency. Their smile vanished when I asked: "But do your people feel truly seen in those reviews?" We're crossing into dangerous territory: using technology to sound authentic while skipping the human work of truly connecting with our people. This isn't about rejecting AI. It's about being intentional about what only humans can do well. 🌟 AI can craft your communications, analyze your metrics, and optimize your schedule. But it absolutely cannot: • Build genuine psychological safety • Practice radical kindness when someone's struggling • Notice the unspoken dynamics in your team • Embody the vulnerable leadership that fosters belonging The most alarming pattern I've witnessed in my executive coaching? Leaders using AI to manufacture what research calls "toxic positivity" defined as perfectly crafted, upbeat messages that lack the messy authenticity of real human connection. When our leadership becomes too polished, too perfect, we lose the beautiful imperfection that makes us human. We lose trust. Here's the paradox: As AI makes communication more efficient, authentic connection becomes more valuable. 💥 The radically kind approach: ⚡ Draft important messages yourself first - even when imperfect ⚡ Ask: "Would my team recognize my voice in this?" ⚡ Include observations that only you would notice ⚡ Share a genuine challenge you're navigating Technology is a magnificent tool. But tools should amplify our humanity, not replace it. In an AI world, your humanity isn't a leadership weakness. It's your superpower. ⚡ And, Yes!, I use AI tools every day of my work and personal life. I continue to learn every day and stay Constantly Curious. Let's learn from each other authentically. Let's Celebrate being Human as much as we celebrate new Tech