I have to admit, it was concerning last year seeing the sheer power and capability come from a machine in so little time.

There was a small window where we observed AI spew imagery of people with seven fingers, illegible wording, and weird nonsensical background details that made it screamingly obvious it wasn't real.

Now, we have entered the time where it's rounded, sharper, better, and just outright difficult to know the truth.

Scary, even.

With the aid of good 'prompts', I think we all know it's possible to ask AI to churn out however many words you want too, about any topic you want -- ask for it to be compelling, funny, sales-focused, engaging -- and in seconds you have your magazine article, blog post, or whole research dissertation if you wanted.

(As a writer with an accredited journalistic education, I do not advise, of course).

Environmental impact totally aside, I could see the appeal to busy workers, independents, or businesses for instant gratification work.

It did seem wonderful that cohesive content could be made in mere seconds, especially content that didn't need thorough checking for mistakes.

Anyway, no-one can tell the difference between text written by a professional or text written by a professionally-trained robot. Right?

Oh, but they do.

We can.

AI has become obvious... or 'Appallingly Imitant'

Once you pick up on the same repetitive nuances and patterns, you can tell AI from a mile away. You don't need to be a teacher, an academic, or even a literate (or illiterate?) to be able to tell.

People are becoming BORED and TIRED of it already.

What was supposed to be here for a few years, creating 'indistinguishable' results and powering the 'highest-quality' discourse, is actually deflating so fast that it might not even be able to pop as predicted.

"That's not x. It's y wrapped in z and zzz."

"... so you can do x with xx, xy, and xz."

"No x. Just y."

"Cookie-cutter."

"No fluff."

(!?!??!!!)

I wrote another article about how we are starved for authenticity in this climate -- one of those reasons starts right here with AI.

In 2026, the public seem to be recoiling from the throes of technology this past decade and are starting to crave connection, honesty, and real artistry again.

(Not to mention some wanting to deviate altogether, and go full analog, purging themselves of anything tech 'smart'.)

Handmade and handwritten are often underrated and undervalued.

But, they are true aspects of pure humanism. What makes us, us. Unreplicable.

'The computer touch' or 'the human touch'?

I'm not afraid of AI taking my job, because sure, it can churn out a thousand words in five seconds.

But how many of those words actually make you feel heard, seen, or understood?

How many of those words are tailored to resonate deeply with people, and not just be a stopgap block of content for the sake of it?

Human heart and human mind simply cannot compare to whatever a robot spits out.

A robot has no mouth, or mind, let alone soul.

Picture your greatest authors. I bet none of them write the same, about the same topics, even in the same timeframe of history. These are simple ingredients that create a memorable writer, alongside talent and dedication.

I'm not saying AI can't get pretty close, because of course it's smart, trained, and for the most part, highly professional.

But soul doesn't need smart to connect.

It's in the name. 'Humanities' are human territory

If we need a solid reminder, there's a huge one right here.

What is a representative, dictionary definition of 'the humanities'? From the first page of Google:

"Humanities courses can include the study of history, philosophy and religion, modern and ancient languages and literature, fine and performing arts, media and cultural studies, just to name a few."

And what would be the overarching, interweaving theme in most of those, exactly?

"The humanities are the stories, the ideas, and the words that help us understand our lives and our world. They introduce us to people we have never met, places we have never visited, and ideas that may never have crossed our minds."

In other words, territory that no robot, no machine, and no computer can -- in my opinion -- ever really have a foot in the door. (I don't need to point out again that they don't have those parts, do I?)

Robots cannot have a sense of humour, or longing, or even any sense at all.

They cannot recall past moments, or know what it feels like to yearn, shock, be in awe, tease, hurt, be elated, play.

Robots cannot live. They can't experience, they can't reminisce.

There are so many traits that a robot cannot have, or do, that belong solely (and soulfully) to us, to humans.

Mind.

Heart.

Soul.

No matter how 'technically' good it gets at replicating skills, it can never have or understand true humanisms.

As for proof-reading, art, photography, graphic design, or any career under fire from the descent of AI -- while the robot can indeed replicate, it still has zero idea whether that creation is actually correct.

It cannot notice errors in the way that a human mind can. It cannot pick up on needed improvements, or detect real discrepancies.

It's simply programmed to finish and deem itself complete the second after its command is executed.

Humans that can refine, identify mistakes and scan the finer details, whether in writing or in imagery, will always have the upper hand. (Again... more parts machines don't have.)

There's a common phrase in the handyman world of 'buy cheap, buy twice'. It essentially means that choosing the cheaper route equals being more expensive in the long run -- i.e., when you have to pay out to fix the mistakes or consequences from the first time.

I still believe this concept mirrors AI.

You can go cheap -- or in this case, go soulless -- but in the long run, that output won't impact or deliver the way a human does in their craft.

It is absolutely worth sourcing and paying for human 'touch' and human-powered.

Especially in the age of AI.

Don't believe me? People are closing websites, scrolling past adverts, even starting to block bot-like pages immediately.

It's quickly becoming a NEGATIVE for your business if you're still clinging onto AI to do everything creative for you.

Why? Let this really sink in:

People are looking elsewhere because if it's obvious you cut corners in your content, website, or forward-facing communication... there's nothing to say you're not cutting corners in the business or services you're delivering too.

And, as some recent discussions have summarised online, "Why should I take the time to read your content, if you didn't even take the time to write it?"

As usual, my shameful soulful plug for human writing, editing, or proofreading is right here, at your fingertips, and always fresh from mine.

Brains over bots.

With strong authentic integrity instead of artificial intelligence,

-fe