AI tools like Chat GPT are changing the way businesses work, but should you be leaning in too? Here’s how to use AI effectively without losing your brand’s voice, and why a little critical thinking still goes a long way.
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AI can feel intimidating. It’s faster than you, it’s smarter than you, and it’s changing how everyone works. That can be unsettling, especially if you’ve been running your business the same way for years. But resisting AI is a bit like refusing to use email in the early 2000s: eventually, you’ll be left behind.
“AI isn’t here to replace creativity -it’s here to streamline the stuff that slows it down. For me, it’s not about letting a tool take over, it’s about shaving hours off those repetitive or admin-heavy tasks.
Tools like ‘Decisions ai’ are in our workflow because they help free up time so we can focus on the creative parts that matter. The trick is to use it with intention - your voice, values, and judgement still need to lead the way. AI can support your brand, but it should never be your brand.”
ChatGPT, for example, doesn’t replace your voice, values, or experiences. Instead, it helps you communicate them better and faster. When drafting social media content, responding to customer reviews, writing product descriptions, or brainstorming blog ideas, AI is like an extra pair of hands, and ones that don’t sleep!
Think of it like hiring a super-fast intern who never complains, doesn’t take holidays, and costs a fraction of a human employee.
This is AI at its most helpful: quietly taking care of the grunt work that clogs up your day. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, Grammarly, and Notion AI work behind the scenes to help you write clearer emails, generate meeting notes, summarise documents, and knock small tasks off your to-do list without the mental drain.
Recommendation: Try using Copilot in your inbox to rewrite clunky emails, or use Grammarly to adjust tone (professional, friendly, casual, etc.) without rewriting from scratch. This kind of AI keeps you efficient and sharp, so you can focus on the bigger stuff.
Here’s where tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity come into play: helping you review market trends, generate a content strategy, draft an annual comms calendar, or summarise competitor insights. While you still need to fact-check and apply your own logic (AI doesn’t know everything!), it’s a massive leg-up when you’re wearing all the hats in your business.
Recommendation: Use ChatGPT to generate a rough marketing plan, break down industry reports, or even help you come up with better KPIs. It’s like a brainstorming session with a super-fast, slightly nerdy strategist, but don’t forget to run the final plan past your own brain.
Staring at a blank page is a very real problem when you’re on a deadline and writing your own web copy, social posts, or ads. AI can help you start, which is often the hardest part. Tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, or even Canva’s Magic Write can draft outlines, generate social media ideas, or give you five different angles on a product description, so you’re not starting from scratch.
Recommendation: Let AI help you write your first draft, then go in and edit with your brand voice in mind (see tips below!). The result? Content that still sounds like you, minus the hours of staring at a blank screen.
One of the most important things to remember when using AI tools is that they can write, but they don’t sound like you - unless you teach them how to.
Here's a few simple ways to keep your brand voice intact when using AI-generated content:
· Tweak the tone: If you wouldn't use terms like “enhance” or “transformative solutions” in a conversation with a customer, don't let them show up in your copy. Reword to sound like you.
· Ditch the robotic cues: If you’re copying and pasting from tools like ChatGPT or Copilot, remove telltale intros like “Sure! Here’s a blog that…” or those weirdly enthusiastic emoji explosions: 🚀🔥💯 (ugh).
· Edit the formatting: Remove excessive em-dashes (these thingys — AI famously loves throwing them in a sentence instead of a comma), overuse of lists, or clunky phrasing that doesn’t flow naturally. Consistency matters.
· Train your AI: Tools like ChatGPT let you feed it your tone of voice over time. Give it examples of your writing and tell it how you'd like things phrased. The more direction you give, the better the output gets.
A lot of these tips sound really simple, but you’d be surprised how often they get missed and the massive difference it all makes. Authenticity is your superpower: AI can help you write faster, but you make it sound real.
AI can feel like it has all the answers, but it’s important to remember what it really is: a very advanced conversation emulator with access to an enormous pool of information.
Yes, it can be helpful. Incredibly helpful! But that doesn’t make it infallible. These tools can and do "hallucinate", a term for when AI makes up information, presents false statistics, or misstates facts with total confidence. Case in point: A major US newspaper recently published a summer reading list written with help from AI… and several of the “must-read novels” didn’t actually exist. The books, authors, and even plot summaries were completely fabricated, but phrased so convincingly that it slipped through the cracks.
Let’s get very real for a second… As a copywriter, I often get asked if I’m worried about AI replacing me. But honestly, my concern isn’t about job security, it’s more about the brain drain. These tools are still fairly new, but we’re already at risk of relying so heavily on AI that we stop thinking critically, creatively, independently. And that’s a much bigger problem than a chatbot writing a blog.
If you don’t use your brain, you lose it.
So yes, use Copilot to remove the repetitive parts of your job. Use ChatGPT to generate a first draft, get ideas, or tidy up your grammar. But please don’t let AI tools take over your voice, your thinking, or your creativity.
Authenticity sells. Originality connects. And in a digital world, those human traits are more valuable than ever.
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