I’ve just proved AI isn’t going to steal our jobs

So I’m creating this course, which is built around this framework that will help marketers and copywriters to create pitch-perfect messaging, tailored to their audience.

It’s everything I’ve learned about brand messaging, copywriting and ethical marketing over the years. I’ve put my heart and soul into the content and I’m at the point where I need to record myself.

Urgh.

I’ve built other courses — taught 4,000 writers how to build a freelance writing business from scratch. I remember it being hard at this point too.

It’s not the embarrassment of being on camera or of hearing my own voice (👈️ me on a podcast). It’s the sheer doing.

I’m a writer. I like to write. Recording video and audio isn’t as fun for me. 

With my previous course, there was no AI. I just had to pull up my sleeves and do the work. 

Urgh.

This time, I tried to make it easier on myself. Surely AI can deal with a lot of this bringing-the-course-together stuff, right?

Wrong. Very wrong.

First, I found a website that claimed it could transform my course modules into a series of snazzily designed slides – automagically with the power of AI.

Sounds exciting, I thought. Let me upgrade, I thought. I figured I’d downgrade to the free version again when I had my slides to work from.

Results: Slides that looked like my 3-year-old's art project (sorry, kiddo).

I figured it must have been my instructions – it couldn’t have possibly been the almighty AI. If AI is going to take over the world and all our jobs one day then it’s got to be better than this, right?

Wrong. (Again.)

The slides were shit, no matter what input I gave. 

I downgraded and put the loss of money down to the cost of business.

Outcome: I paid a freelancer to design my slides. With my branding and their design skills, we humans came through.

Then! Then! I stumbled across a platform that not only converts your written content into audio, it can actually CLONE YOUR VOICE!

As I read that I heard two voices in my head. My own: This is amazing. Gosh, the times we live in. [shakes head smiling]. 

The other voice belonged to my wife and said something along the lines of: Omigod, don’t give the overlords your voice. They’ll use it for evil. They’ll own your actual voice.

But I had to give it a go. So with a hint of deja vu — and no hint of having recently learned a valuable lesson — I paid to upgrade. (I know, I know.)

The results? I couldn't even listen to the whole thing without the software glitching (it kept refreshing and asking for another upgrade), and the bits I did hear sounded like a version of me if I’d gone to private school… and had AI for educators. 

I didn’t like it. It didn’t sound genuine. It didn’t even work properly. And it gave me the ick.

I chalked that one down to the cost of business too.

The results

After all my AI adventures and unnecessary upgrades, I ended up right back where I started. A human freelancer designed my slides beautifully, bringing my vision to life. And the recording of the thing?

Well, it looks like I'll be recording it myself, just like in the good old days, but now squeezed in between my Head of Marketing role, running this newsletter, parenting a 3-year-old (and strange bouts of exhaustion that I’m sure has nothing to do with any of the above). 

Can you help?

So, fellow human and creative being, can you help me decide on a name for my course? I don’t want to leave it to AI because, well, everything above.

Vote for your favourite name in the poll below — or if you have something totally different that nails it, hit reply with your suggestion. If I use your exact words, you'll get the course free for life when it launches. 😃 👇️ 

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