The Uniqueness is Gone

Something that I have sensed a year ago, is slowly observable anywhere you look: ChatGPT averagism. Leaders of large organizations share with me how their team are creating presentations using ChatGPT and it is good – but average.

Average in the sense that presentations have no particular flaw, they are not bad in any assessable way – but average in a way that the uniqueness is gone. It turns into a presentation that could be made by any organization and be valid for any organization, you just need to change the logo. I work with multiple business partners, who send me strategies or vision statements that are clearly the output of ChatGPT. Again, not bad in any particular way – but ferociously average. You can hardly describe what is missing, but when you read it you know that something is incomplete. It goes on: emails, LinkedIn posts, website copy. Whether it is pitching a product or service, often it feels generic. Recently published science papers, books, YouTube videos, all begin to feel lifeless.

Am I anti AI? The complete opposite. I still believe AI, including LLMs, are extremely powerful tools if used correctly. But now, people skip steps. AI is omnipresent, for many the first app or tab they open when they should actually open an empty text file, a paper notebook, or scribble on a whiteboard in a meeting room. Don’t skip the spiritual part of your work.