In the AI Age, Authenticity Matters More Than Ever

Polished prose is good, but real, authentic voices are great

When it takes just two seconds to generate a flawless, on-brand email, authenticity matters more than ever.

GenAI makes it easy to churn out polished content at breakneck speed. The paradox is that the more perfect it sounds, the less people care. Employees can tell when they’re being spammed with generated copy. And when every sentence is smoothed out, it all starts to feel generic, bland and disposable.

When leaders speak to employees, what cuts through isn’t flawless prose. It’s a voice that feels real. That means:

• Short, scrappy notes over long essays

• Quirks, not corporate polish

• Directness instead of jargon

Think about it: a slightly messy paragraph, a one-line update, a personal anecdote, a one-take video recorded on a phone – these things can build trust. They prove there’s a human on the other side, not just another algorithm trying to sound human.

AI absolutely has its place. It can help structure ideas, brainstorm angles, or clean up a draft. But it shouldn’t erase the voice of the person speaking.

AI can sketch the outline. But the scribbles, quirks, and imperfections? That’s what makes communication feel real – and that’s what employees will remember.

Don’t sacrifice nuance and personal connection

Earlier this year, I took Imperial College Business School’s six-week course, ‘AI for Business Innovation,’ and used it as an opportunity to study the impact of AI on internal communications. The key questions I had in mind were: (1) What tasks can be automated to boost efficiency? And, perhaps more importantly, (2) What tasks should be automated?

When discussing these use cases with my entrepreneurial fellow learners, I concluded that communication is different. The answer to the ‘should’ question is complex and must be informed by the goal of creating empathy, human connection, and shared understanding.

So, while AI can streamline repetitive tasks – such as sending reminders, answering common employee queries, and managing content – there is a fine line between efficiency and emotional disconnection. A well-timed, empathetic message from leadership can inspire, reassure, and unite teams. If used carelessly, AI could unintentionally create messages that feel impersonal, robotic, or out of touch.