Assert Your Humanity in an Algorithmic World

How to lean on your humanity in a world that is increasingly becoming artificial

The other day, I had a strange moment.

I was alternating my Facebook, Medium, LinkedIn, and Substack feeds (as you would expect of any Gen Z content creator), scanning hooks and stories. I caught myself thinking: “Welp, another AI-generated post.”

Then I paused, and asked: “How many times have I said that in the past hour?”

The answer was: A lot.

Do you know about the Dead Internet Theory? It’s a fringe idea that claims most of the internet is already fake, populated by bots, auto-generated content, and AI chatter masquerading as human thought. Proponents think the internet has “died” a long time ago, and everything that is every posted is just regurgitation of what has already come before.

It sounds like a conspiracy theory, of course. Until you look around with a more critical eye and realize … maybe it’s not that far off. Especially right now.

Is everything AI now?

As of 2024, 57% of all web-based text has been either generated by AI or translated using AI algorithms, according to a study in the same year by Amazon Web Services, cited in Forbes and other outlets.

I feel it personally.

Blogs are flooded with derivative, soulless, SEO-optimized sludge. My social media feeds, supposedly a space curated for my preferences, surface viral, AI-generated everything, from supposedly “heartfelt” essays by friends, to outlandish memes (am I the only one glad the whole “tralalelo tralalala” thing is over now?).

With LLMs now operating like vending machines for content, anyone and everyone with something to say can say it—and often say it so much better than you.

For the mission-driven creator, it’s easy to feel like you’re being drowned in a sea of sameness. You try to build resonance, but the algorithm pushes for reach no matter the cost. You want to write something true, but the metrics favor what’s trendy. And with each swipe, you start to wonder:

“Am I still needed?”

It’s easy to question your place in a world where AI seems to do everything, and do it faster, cheaper, and without rest. It creates an existential weight. A feeling that no matter how hard you work, you’ll never be able to keep up.

This tension seems to push creators toward a dangerous fork in the road:

• Resist AI entirely and risk falling behind, or

• Embrace it blindly and risk becoming unrecognizable.

But what if that binary is a lie?

Becoming indisputably human: 3 Pillars of human-centered creation

Your humanity isn’t your weakness. It’s your moat.

In an age where literally everything can be created out of thin air, the real differentiator becomes those that can’t be prompted out of an LLM. Your:

• Taste

• Reputation

• Lived experience

• Personal philosophy

• Connections and relationships

If you can recall, my last post talked about creating an Authentic AI assistant, which is Strategy 1 of becoming antifragile creator in a volatile world.

We built our AI assistant, which frees up our time and energy. We automated the bottom so we can elevate the top. But not just blindly -- we automate mindfully, fully aware of every change made and how it integrates to our personal philosophy.

This is Strategy 2 in our antifragile approach to the AI era: Doubling down on what makes you human. If you want to become antifragile and grow from today’s AI uncertainty, this must be a core part of your strategy.

Now that you’ve reclaimed time and energy from low-level task, what’ll you do with them?

My answer: Reinvest it into high-level, humanity-affirming work. Three steps:

1. Evolve your original thinking

In a world drowning in AI-generated sameness, independent thinking becomes your rarest asset.

The ability to form original perspectives is what separates meaningful work from noise. That kind of thinking takes time, tension, and patience, something AI can’t replicate.

AI is not a substitute for original thought, but it’s an incredible tool for acceleration. Here’s how to sharpen your thinking while still using AI mindfully:

• Use AI to test your assumptions. Ask it to argue with you. Prompt it to provide the opposing case.

• Generate perspectives, not conclusions. Let AI widen your frame, but don’t let it finish the thought for you.

• Develop a habit of "slow thinking." Give yourself time away from screens to wrestle with complexity. Journal before you prompt. Read deeply before you respond. Let silence be part of your process.

Your edge isn’t in how fast you can generate answers. It’s in how deeply you can think through what matters. When you’ve found it, you can then use your AI-driven creative systems to express them in a way only you can.

2. Define an Unpromptable brand

AI can imitate tone, simulate expertise. But it can’t replicate your presence.

Your identity—your story, your philosophy, your values—is your most defensible creative asset. In a world where content is infinitely reproducible, authentic presence becomes priceless.

What makes you irreplaceable isn’t your ability to produce, it’s your ability to mean something.

This is where identity work becomes strategy. You’re not just creating for attention, but for alignment. When you know who you are and what you stand for, your voice cuts through the noise. Not by being loud, but by being true.

Therefore, learn and articulate what makes you unique. To clarify your identity, try these:

• Define your origin story, mission, and vision. What brought you here, and why does it matter?

• Articulate your creative philosophy. What do you believe about how you do the work you do?

• Codify your values into clear brand pillars. Jot down 3 to 5 core ideas that guide your message.

• Audit your past content. What felt most like you? What resonated most with others?

• Revisit and refine your worldview regularly. Identity is not static. It evolves with you. This exercise might reveal things that you don’t really believe in anymore, or things that have changed from your last critical assessment.

This doesn’t have to be a whole-day meditation marathon sesh. Instead, you can spend a few hours brainstorming all this through a long conversation with AI using the promps I laid out in the linked aricle.

3. Double down on human connection

Now that content creation has become radically easier, the playing field has shifted.

You no longer have to pour all your energy into consistently producing content. With your AI systems in place, you’re free to reinvest that time where it matters most: in building truly human relationships.

In the age of artificial content, what sets you apart is not just what you make, but who you know, and who trusts you. Reputation becomes the currency.

This is how we shift from performance to presence.

Now is the time to stop hiding behind your posts and start reaching out. Here are a few ways to focus on authentic relationship-building:

• Host small group chats or calls with aligned peers or readers.

• Ask curious questions instead of broadcasting polished answers.

• Follow up with thoughtful messages after someone engages with your work.

• Create from collaboration, not isolation—co-write, guest post, brainstorm together.

• Be generous in your signal-boosting. Elevate other voices who deserve attention.

AI can scale content. But only you can create trust.

This is how you become indisputably human. Not just in your ideas, but in your interactions as well. It's how you build something that no algorithm can fake: a name people speak of with respect.

Why asserting your humanity makes you future-proof

The future will be full of artificiality. That’s not a dystopian prediction, not necessarily. It’s just… the trend line.

AI is already making content abundant. But as we’ve seen in every industry, when something becomes abundant, authenticity becomes scarce. And when something becomes scarce, its value increases.

It’s like furniture: the IKEA model dominates, but handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces are prized more than ever before.

The same applies to you.

Asserting your humanity will be how you:

• Build a brand with soul, not just scale

• Create emotionally resonant work that sticks

• Avoid burnout by doing work that feels like you

It’s how you can build your way into a successful brand, business, or start up.

So, don’t be afraid of AI. Be cautious, for sure, but go beyond fear and dip your toes in the water, little by little. This isn’t a time to shrink; it’s not the time to lessen your humanity. It’s a time to scale it.

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If you want to thrive in this AI-saturated world, you need a system that enhances your creativity, not one that replaces it. That’s exactly what your Authentic AI Assistant is for: a custom-built workflow that reflects your voice, protects your values, and multiplies your time.

Start building yours today.