This era is the era of the “commodity bot.”
Think about it. It was only a short few years ago that it was unimaginable to write 1,500 words for a blog post. In addition, it was astounding to create a photorealistic marketing image in seconds. Today, it’s the norm. Every founder, competitor, and side hustler has access to the same Large Language Models. There’s now a sea of synthetic content in which we’re swimming — perhaps drowning. In fact, 78 percent of companies reported using AI in 2024, up from 55% in 2019.
However, as the supply of AI-generated content increases, its value naturally declines. As such, when everyone can produce “good” content, “good” will no longer cut it.
In this new economic landscape, a fascinating shift is taking place. This is referred to as the “Human Premium.” As AI becomes a commodity, human connection, unique perspective, and “proof of personhood” are becoming increasingly valuable. Thus, in the future, innovative founders will not hide behind a digital curtain; AI will allow them to shine.
The Death of “Good Enough” Content
For years, “content is king” was the mantra of digital marketing. Our focus was on volume, keywords, and frequency. This volume-based strategy is fulfilled by AI. Unlike human teams, it can out-post, out-tweet, and out-email them 1,000 to 1.
“Algorithmic fatigue,” however, is already evident with users learning to spot the “GPT-sheen,” the slightly too-perfect, a bit generic tone that characterizes unedited AI output. Prospects don’t think, “Wow, what a productive entrepreneur.” They think, “I’m not worth even three minutes of this person’s time,” when they receive an AI-written cold LinkedIn message.
Essentially, human-centricity recognizes that while AI may handle information, only humans can provide resonance.
What is “Proof of Personhood”?
In the crypto world, “proof of stake” or “proof of work” validates transactions. In the AI world, founders are required to provide proof of personhood. These are the traits that an LLM cannot duplicate (at least authentically):
- Vulnerability. AI has no skin in the game. It’s never stayed up at night worrying if it can make payroll until 3:00 AM. The ability to learn from your failures, pivots, and messy “in-between” moments makes you more competitive.
- Specific anecdotes. AI is trained based on the average of all human knowledge. It doesn’t know the taste of the coffee in that windowless basement where you started your first business. It’s those specific, sensory details that anchor trust.
- Contrarian thinking. LLMs are literally designed to predict the most likely next word. They are machines of consensus. An effective leader must predict the unlikely and hold a position that has not yet been “trained” into a specific model.
Reinvesting the “AI Dividend”
When it comes to AI, the biggest mistake founders make — and it joins a long list of entrepreneur mistakes — is treating the time saved as “pure profit” — taking the four hours saved on administrative tasks and simply closing the laptop.
A successful founder views that time saved as an AI dividend. This dividend should be reinvested in high-touch, unscalable activities to survive the pivot.
In other words, AI can save you 10 hours a week in content drafting, reporting, and scheduling, but you shouldn’t use that time to create more AI content. You should instead:
- Host small-group masterminds. Organize a meeting (physical or virtual) with 10 people to solve problems in real time.
- Double down on community leadership. Make the transition from “content creator” to “community architect.” Provide answers personally. Keep the discord in check. Become the face of the movement.
- Personalized outreach. You can use AI to research a prospect, but your actual outreach should be written by you. In fact, the fact that it isn’t automated is exactly why it will work.
The Founder as the Filter
There’s been a shift from a scarcity of information to a scarcity of attention. People used to follow brands for information. Now, they follow people to filter information.
It’s no longer just a vanity project to build your own brand; it’s your company’s moat. As much as they buy into the vision of the person leading the service, people don’t buy “software-as-a-service.” As long as a founder is visible, vocal, and authentic, they provide a “filter” that AI simply cannot provide.
Building Your Human Moat: A 3-Step Plan
To pivot toward a human-centric model, start with these steps:
1. Conduct a “touch-point audit.”
Take note of every interaction a customer or follower has with you. Are any of these “faceless” at the moment? A moat doesn’t exist if your newsletter, your Twitter, and your customer support are all automated. You should designate at least two channels as “Human Only.”
2. Share the “why,” not just the “how.”
Yes, it’s possible for an AI to write an SEO “How-To” guide for business owners. However, it cannot write a manifesto explaining why it actually cares about SEO for business growth. Rather than providing instructions (which is now a commodity), provide philosophy and intent through your content strategy.
3. Optimize for “unscalable” relationships.
During Airbnb’s early days, the founders went door-to-door to take photos of apartments in San Francisco or New York City. It didn’t scale, but it laid the foundation. Today, though, you can let AI handle everything that can be scaled so you can focus on what can’t.
The Bottom Line
Humans are the engines of trust; AI is a tool for efficiency.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that businesses are approaching a “Turing Test.” If your company sounds, acts, and feels like a robot, it’ll be priced accordingly.
In the “Human-Centric” shift, technology isn’t being rejected. The idea is to use technology to remove the mundane so that you can put a spotlight on your humanity. Instead of just using AI to save time, use it to be more human.
In an automated world, the “Human Premium” is real, it’s rising, and it’s the only thing that will make you relevant.
Image Credit: Matheus Bertelli; Pexels
