I started reading a newly released “bestseller” yesterday.
Partway through Chapter One, I got so mad that I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. (If I had been reading a paperback, I would have done so with no regret.)
The message of the book isn’t what upset me. Instead, what triggered me was that I could tell the book was written by AI. I don’t mind reading AI when I’m conversing with AI, but I don’t want to read AI when I am expecting a real human.
Last week, I opened an email from a teacher I’ve studied with. She had a note at the top stating… “I write all my own emails. AI just helps me edit what I originally wrote from my heart.” I then proceeded to read a newsletter that sounded just like ChatGPT.
Here’s the thing. I’m not against AI. I find it quite useful for brainstorming ideas or helping me figure out how to edit a sentence or paragraph that feels clunky. But the moment I hear the AI cadence of speaking, I lose connection with the writer. I immediately hear the “robot” and not the human.
I’ve been contemplating why I have such a visceral reaction to teachers and content creators letting the voice of AI overtake their own style of writing or speaking, and here’s what I’ve concluded thus far…
IT’S ARTIFICIAL
Built into its very name is the #1 reason why it bothers me.
It’s the difference between fake flowers and the real thing. Fake flowers are artificial. They can be beautiful and useful, but they don’t have soul.
It reminds me of a popular Interior Designer whose work is all over the internet…
Their work is stunning. Their interiors are easily recognizable for their signature style, and for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out what it was that bothered me about the designs. Because on the surface, the photos are perfect.
Wait… that’s exactly what bothered me about them.
The photos were… too perfect.
Every client’s home looks gorgeous and yet lacks personality. The designs tell me nothing unique or quirky or delightsome about the real people that live there. I’d love to see someone’s collections on display, or glimpse the kind of books they read, or notice their hobbies, art, or family heirlooms that tell a story about their life and who they are.
I realize the lack of personality is what makes those interiors universally appealing. It’s the same reason realtors will tell you to remove anything personalized when staging your home, so potential buyers can imagine themselves living there rather than feel like the home belongs to someone else.
But still…I can’t help but wonder if we’re chasing an illusion of perfection.
I’ve spent so much of my life thinking I needed to be “perfect” when what actually makes things interesting is when they’re “not perfect”.
I want to see some personality!!!!
It’s the same reason I’d rather read a book or article written by a human.
I want the quirks!I want the weirdness! I want the real person that is behind those unique thoughts!
It’s true that AI can perfect your words. It can make the message more professional or even poetic. But all too soon, the very thing that made your message unique can disappear:
YOU.
I wonder how often my own pursuit of perfection has really been more about erasing my humanness…
How often has perfection been more about conforming to what I’ve been told is beautiful and acceptable rather than celebrating what is real?
I’ve spent decades of my life trying to become a person who only has positive emotions. Not the negative ones.
I’ve tried to fix my personality so I wouldn’t be “too much”.
I’ve tried liking things that are popular at the expense of my own personal taste.
I’ve rejected my own body for all the ways it hasn’t measured up to unrealistic and fake standards.
All in the effort to be more perfect.
But what if the quirks, differences, or even the shadows are what give true beauty its depth?
What if imperfection is actually what we feel connected to because it mirrors the complexity inside us, too?
I’ll take a bouquet of fresh flowers that will wilt and die any day over fake ones.
I’d rather have a best friend who has hard days and knows the impact of a well-placed curse over a best friend who is always perfectly cheery and put together.
I’d rather live in a home that represents who we are as a family than feel like I’m living in a staged Airbnb.
Everything meaningful in my life is imperfect, and that’s actually what makes it so meaningful.
What if…
The humanness that we’ve tried to override is exactly what makes life so rich?
Perfect is boring.
That means that you and I are phenomenally interesting.
And here’s where things get even more exciting…
THE EVOLUTION OF PERFECT
Years ago, I listened to a podcast interview where they spoke about the evolution of the word “perfect”.
Perhaps you are familiar with the spiritual teaching from Jesus of Nazareth, who 2000 years ago taught his followers to “Be ye therefore perfect”…
It’s fascinating to note that the original Greek translation of the word perfect actually means “whole” or “complete”.
Now fast forward to the Industrial Revolution and the introduction of machines that could produce parts without human errors, and suddenly the word perfect evolved into meaning “without flaw”. (Not to mention, it also implies a level of conformity and sameness.)
“Be whole” is an entirely different teaching than “Be without flaw”.
To be whole means we embrace the light and the shadow. We embrace every part of our humanness and our divinity.
Yet many of us instead chase the modern definition and seek to be “without flaw” by rejecting parts of who we are.
These two definitions are fundamentally opposite actions.
One embraces, the other rejects.
One allows our humanness, and the other tries to conform, fix, or reject it.
To be whole is something I can experience right now in the present moment. All I have to do is offer love and acceptance (and forgiveness) to all parts of myself.
To be without flaw will always put me striving for a future version of myself that never arrives. I’m perpetually not good enough because to “be without flaw” requires me to judge, not love.
Nothing has taught me more about this modern illusion of “perfect” than watching AI edit out what it perceives as human flaws in what we create. Experiencing the loss of soulfulness, connection, and personality has shown me that what I may have always believed was getting in the way, actually IS the way.
I see this all the time in coaching clients…
Learning to accept the parts of ourselves we reject IS the way. All of our attempts at fixing our perceived imperfections actually ends up severing connection rather than creating it.
So dear one…
Where in your life have you been editing out parts of yourself? What could happen if you embraced them instead?
Here’s to being fully human and loving the parts that are imperfect. Those parts are turning out to be far more valuable than I ever thought.
You are loved. The whole of you. Every single part. Be ye therefore whole.
Delightfully,
brooke
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P.S. I’m trying to offer some grace…After venting my frustrations, I returned to reading the book that triggered me. I’m trying to see past the robotic moments and notice where there are still gold nuggets to be found. I have to admit that, as a published author myself, the most fascinating part of writing a book was when the editing team came in and made my work better (though back then, the editors were humans) I believe in the power of teamwork and believe AI can be a valuable team member, but my hope is that creators will also remember the power imperfection plays in human connection. We don’t actually want “perfect” in the way we think we do.
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