Writing In The Time Of AI

By Raji Mohanam

Like you, I've fallen into the trap many times. Just a few days ago, I watched AI spit out a newsletter in thirty seconds that would have taken me hours to write. But as I read through those perfectly structured paragraphs, something was predictably off. The writing was hollow, it had no soul.

We're being told that AI should be our default tool, not just an occasional assistant. Businesses, freelancers, and journalists are all scrambling to publish faster and cheaper. But what's really scary is that we're trading our voices for efficiency. I've seen writers I respect start sounding like everyone else because they're all using the same AI tools. The whole of the internet risks becoming a cold, gray tide of derivative thought. We're losing what makes us... us.

Speed can be seductive, but it often sacrifices what matters most. AI doesn't have our lived experience. It can't comprehend the cultural nuance that shapes how we see the world, the humor born from heartbreak, or the language that's created from our lineage. The result is content that checks all the boxes but fails to stir anything in us. We risk flattening human imagination under the weight of a thousand pretty but synthetic words.

So how do we figure out when AI actually helps us and when it's just a shortcut that sells us short?

The Human-First Content Creation Framework

I strongly believe that human mental labor is still the gold standard for insight, empathy, and originality. We create content to connect. To persuade. To provoke something real in people. AI can be a brilliant co-pilot, but it shouldn't be the captain.

I've started asking myself these questions before I reach for AI. Maybe they'll help you too:

1. Does this content require emotional resonance? → Go human. AI can mimic tone, but it can't feel what it's writing.

2. Is this piece personal, reflective, or rooted in identity? → Human. Your unique story isn't in any dataset.

3. Does this content convey nuanced political, cultural, or historical insight? → Human. AI is often blind to context, and worse, to consequences.

4. Is this purely informative or repetitive (like summaries, captions, SEO lists)? → AI can help here. Let the machine handle the mechanical stuff.

5. Is originality or creative experimentation the goal? → Human. Your innovation comes from breaking patterns, not pattern recognition.

6. Do I need speed over soul for this task? → Maybe AI works here. But ask yourself: who are you creating for? Speed only wins when the stakes are low.

7. Is this content meant to spark trust, loyalty, or community? → Human. Relationships are built through the friction of thought, not hollow automated responses.

When Human Writing Wins

Human writing beats AI when it preserves originality. It keeps content from becoming cookie-cutter. Readers can sense authenticity, and they reward it with their attention and trust. There's something about the labor of writing that leads to mastery, something AI can never claim. When we write from our own experience, we're sustaining culture, passing down stories that build heritage.

And another huge factor to consider: a human knows when words can harm. An AI? Not always.

I know it's tempting to let AI handle everything. The pressure to publish more, faster, cheaper is real. But some things are worth doing the slow way. Some thoughts are worth thinking through, yourself.

In an age of auto-generated everything, choosing to think, write, and reflect slowly feels almost self-sabotaging. AI is here, and it's a remarkable tool. But not every problem needs a machine to solve it. The best technology is the human mind, thinking deeply, feeling fully, and writing from the marrow of its own experience.