TL;DR There’s a false sense of urgency in the air — and AI is to blame. One thing I know for sure (and the data backs me up): AI isn’t a plug-and-play creative solution. The brands and thought leaders who continue to move with intention instead of getting caught up in “more, more, faster, faster” will win out in the long run.
"
“Metacognition — thinking about your thinking — is the missing link between simply using AI and using it well.”
Let’s all take a collective breath, shall we?
No one is immune to the fear of being left behind. (We used to call it FOMO.) If you spend any time on LinkedIn, you know what I’m talking about when I say that it’s flooded with content, advice, and quite frankly, bragging about how AI is exponentially increasing output — whether we’re talking content, product features, or digital experiences.
- I did a whole brand strategy for a client in one day!
- Claude made this whole website for my new offering!
- I automated all my email communications!
What?! No. I mean sure, but what’s the value in any of that? Relationships still matter. And so does creative thinking and problem solving.
Y’all, move fast and break things is OUT.
I might die on this hill, but faster doesn’t mean more creative, distinctive, or valuable. Without true expertise, reflection, and intention, it’s just more noise in an increasingly loud arena.
Resonance is the new trust builder.
If you’ve been here for a while, you know I love talking about trust — but it’s quickly becoming an even hotter commodity in an era of quantity over quality and eyeballs over hearts.
There are always going to be competing priorities — and yes, generating revenue is a big one. And maybe certain industries have an easier time hopping from trend to trend and using AI to generate gimmicks and conversation, but that doesn’t fly in high-trust spaces like healthcare and finance.
The way a brand handles sensitive information is a big part of what builds trust or breaks it. Of course, communicating that policy is a must, too.
Data privacy matters.
It’s an understatement to say this piece of the puzzle hasn’t been solved.
Consumers are putting sensitive health data into ChatGPT and Claude. Only time will tell the true impact it has.
It speaks to very real problems in our healthcare system, among other things, but that doesn’t absolve the danger. We’ve already seeing dynamic pricing affect products like groceries. Who knows what that could mean for healthcare in the future.
It’s an opportunity for intentional brands.
I finally downloaded Clue (hello perimenopause!) after a long time putting off any sort of period-tracking app. Why? Because amassing this kind of data about women and people AFAB is a huge responsibility, and it’s chilling to think about what can happen if it’s in the wrong hands.
Clue has been on my radar for years as a brand that consistently shows up in a way that feels trustworthy to me. I feel good about my decision while understanding no digital product can be 100% safe.
What AI adds — and what we still need to bring
"
“Generative AI isn’t a plug-and-play solution for creativity. To fully unlock their creative potential, employees must know how to engage with AI — to drive the tool, rather than letting the tool drive them.”
In a recent episode of the Computer Says Maybe podcast, host Alix Dunn chatted with cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath about the false promise of EdTech. He said AI is a tool for people who already know what they’re doing. It doesn’t replace learning. In fact, according to Horvath, break out the screens and learning is instantly interrupted.
A 2025 MIT Sloan field experiment involving 250 employees found that ChatGPT improved creativity only among workers with strong metacognitive strategies: planning, monitoring their own thinking, identifying gaps, and revising their approach. Without those skills, AI had little or no creative effect.
Intentional AI use: False urgency vs. intentional momentum.
For marketers working in trust-sensitive spaces, it’s imperative that we continue to be creative and use our cognitive skills to weed out what’s noise and what’s valuable. We must fight the FOMO and define our own strategies for how to leverage AI to support our customers and partners.
If you find yourself relying on AI to do things that are outside your skill set, maybe pause — ask why?
Questions to inform your team’s AI strategy:
- Why are we using AI?
- Where’s the value of AI for our brand, client, or company?
- How can AI help us go deeper or broader?
- Where do we need to inject more of our own thinking?
The answers can’t all be for shortcuts because eventually you’ll run out of runway.
If mistakes are made, that’s part of it. If it affects your audience, own it, talk about it, and communicate how you’re going to do it differently moving forward.
Don’t stop. Keep going, but with intention and planning.
Values-driven brand strategy will always be there to guide you no matter what tools, trends, or false urgency comes our way. It doesn’t mean never move fast, it means do it intentionally.
There is no shortcut. Isn’t that the beauty of life?
As always, if you need support exploring this for your business or brand, I’d love to chat. Email me here. I’d also be interested to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
And don’t forget to subscribe to Fresh Ink for quarterly brand strategy insights and more delivered to your inbox.
Thanks for reading! I hope you find some joy today.