Why does AI sound the same? Why is it so easy to recognize a human creator’s voice, while AI-generated texts all sound the same – even after editing?
I easily recognize familiar human voices on LinkedIn – the people I know and follow.
I can’t confuse them with one another. They sound different.
Yet, AI-generated websites sound remarkably similar.
The author of the article Every Company Now Sounds Like ChatGPT and That’s the Biggest Brand Opportunity in a Decade calls it “the Great Flattening.”
AI flattens language by calculating a statistical average of everything found online. And the average sounds flat.
The article says: “Today, sounding different becomes the rarest competitive advantage a company can have. The company with real personality, earned conviction, and concrete specificity stands out like a bonfire in a field of flashlights.”
What does it take to sound different?
Humans do not think like machines.
Machines “create” through calculation. Humans create through inspiration.
Machines use data, process it according to a specific method, and produce an output.
Humans perceive what is given (“datum” in Latin) and wait for it inspire them – give them insights into reality.
Machines don’t need inspiration. They don’t wait for inspiration to produce an output.
Humans can’t truly create without inspiration. They wait for the “datum” to strike them – grant them some illuminating thought.
Machines grab data. They treat data as a resource to be used for producing predictable outcomes.
Human creators revere data – they wait for “the datum” to reveal itself.
Machines do not seek a relationship with the world. They treat it as a standing resource to manufacture the product.
Humans creators seek a relationship with the world. They do not use it; they eagerly and reverently wait for the world to reveal its mysteries.
Even as I am writing this, I reverently pause after every sentence. Every phrase. Every word. I listen. I perceive. I wait. Then I write.
I don’t calculate the statistical average for every word, sentence, or phrase.
I wait for Meaning to reveals itself.
Human writing sounds different because it is based on inspiration rather than calculation.
Inspiration is a reverent stance toward reality: I am humbly waiting for reality to reveal itself.
Calculation is a utilitarian stance toward reality: reality is seen as a resource to be used for a predictable outcome.
Calculation relies on a method; inspiration relies on a relationship.
Calculation eliminates subjectivity and personality from the process; inspiration thrives on subjectivity and personality.
The author of the article concludes: “Corporate America is converging on a single voice. The brands that opt out will own the next decade.”
