Here’s what that research really tells us..

When people send lazy, generic content (AI or not), others notice. So the issue isn’t artificial intelligence – it’s artificial effort.

A human can write terrible, buzzword-filled nonsense just as easily as AI can.
The tool is not the problem. The way you use it is.

Blaming AI for bad communication is like blaming Microsoft Word for boring emails. Being able to have a good sense of prompt is not slop its actually a craft worth learning in the new AI dispensation.

Good AI writing requires skill. Real skill. You need to understand your audience, craft detailed prompts, and iterate. Someone who masters AI prompting often puts MORE thought into their message than someone firing off a quick human-written note or email.
Think about it – to get AI to write something truly helpful, you have to:

1. Clearly define your goal.
2. Know your audience deeply.
3. Provide context and examples.
4. Refine and edit the output.

That’s more planning than most people put into regular emails.

And let’s not forget — that almost every new tool that scared people at first ended up becoming indispensable to the world.

✔️People said the printing press would ruin memory. It gave us books.
✔️People said the internet would kill real relationships. It gave us more ways to connect than ever.
✔️People said phones would destroy face-to-face talk. They gave us the ability to keep families close across oceans.
✔️Calculators were banned in schools (now they’re required)
✔️GPS was seen as making people helpless (now it saves lives)
✔️Digital cameras were “not real photography” (now everyone’s a photographer)
And I can go on and on…
AI is the same story. Fear first, adoption later.

The human touch isn’t going anywhere:
AI can help you organise thoughts, fix grammar, or suggest ideas. But it can’t replace your unique perspective, your relationships, or your judgment about what to say.

The best AI users aren’t hiding behind the tools they use – they’re using it to amplify their thinking and capacity. They spend less time wrestling with blank pages and more time thinking about what actually matters to their readers.

And here’s where I think Steven Bartlett was absolutely right:
Trust does matter. Relationships are human-to-human. And yes, people can spot low-effort communication from miles away whether it is AI or human written.

But maybe the solution isn’t avoiding AI. Maybe it’s getting better at using it thoughtfully.

What do you think – Should we be judging the tool or the user of the tool?