Everyone Sounds the Same

You know, I've been noticing something lately, and it’s starting to feel… weird. Every email I open, every tweet I scroll past, even the Slack messages pinging away – they're all starting to sound eerily similar. Am I imagining it?

I don't think so. It hit me the other day when I got an email that felt like it was personally written, but something was just a little too polished, a little too… perfect. Then I realized: it was probably edited by AI. And so was the next one. And the one after that.

It seems like everyone is running their writing through some kind of AI assistant these days. And look, I get it. We're all busy. We want to sound professional, avoid typos, and make sure our message lands right. These tools promise efficiency and clarity, and sometimes, they deliver.

But here's the thing: in the quest for that perfect, error-free message, are we losing something important? Are we losing ourselves?

Our quirks, our unique way of phrasing things, even our occasional slightly awkward sentence – that's what makes our voice ours. It’s how people recognize us, connect with us. When I read something from a friend or colleague, I want to hear them, not the algorithm that smoothed out all the interesting edges.

Think about it. That funny sign-off you always use? The way you always start emails with a specific greeting? The slightly rambling but insightful point you make in a Slack thread? That's your fingerprint on the digital world. When we let AI "optimize" everything, we risk erasing those fingerprints, blending into a sea of perfectly acceptable, perfectly bland communication.

We're trading personality for polish. Authenticity for algorithmic approval. And honestly? It makes the digital world feel a lot less human.

So, here’s my plea, my little call to action: Don't lose your voice.

Yes, use the tools if they help you. Let them catch that typo you missed or suggest a clearer way to say something complex. But don't let them sand down your personality until you sound like everyone else. Read your writing back. Does it sound like you? If not, tweak it. Add back that quirk. Rephrase it in a way only you would.

Let's keep the internet interesting. Let's keep it human. Keep your voice.