How to use AI without sounding like everyone else

Billions in AI investment is making us all sound like robots. Here's what you can do to stand out.

If you check your inbox right now, I guarantee you’ll find at least five emails that start with “I hope this message finds you well” or “I wanted to reach out because...” These emails weren’t written by humans anymore. They were written by ChatGPT, Claude, or some other LLM, and it shows.

Here’s what’s happening: VCs are pouring billions into AI companies. Y Combinator’s recent batches are over 70% AI focused. The technology is powerful and solving real problems in automation, infrastructure, and data processing. But everyone’s also using the free writing tools for everything: emails, LinkedIn posts, customer service, content. The result? We all sound exactly the same now.

Open any inbox and the AI written messages are obvious immediately. Same phrases, same structure, same lifeless tone. LinkedIn is filled with posts that say nothing in 500 words. Customer service responses are technically correct but completely soulless.

The irony? We have access to incredible AI technology, and we’re using it to make ourselves more generic.

What I’m seeing everywhere

I’ve implemented AI for backend automation and it works well for the right use cases. Data processing, categorization, workflow automation. But I also see what’s happening with communication.

Sales teams are using AI to blast thousands of emails. Sure, the AI pulls in context about the company, mentions a recent funding round, references a LinkedIn post. But the tone, the structure, the phrasing, it’s all the same. People can tell.

Marketing teams are using AI to generate content at scale. The articles are SEO optimized, grammatically perfect, and completely forgettable. Nobody reads them because they say nothing.

Job seekers are using ChatGPT to write cover letters. Recruiters are getting hundreds of applications that all have the same tone, the same phrases, the same structure. The funny part? Many companies are now using AI to filter out AI written applications. A zero sum game where robots are screening out robots.

The problem isn’t the technology. It’s that everyone’s using it the same lazy way.

What actually works

Here’s what I’ve learned from implementing AI and watching companies use it well versus badly.

Use AI for research and structure, not final output. Let it gather information, organize ideas, create outlines. Then write the actual content yourself in your own voice.

Edit everything heavily. If you’re going to use AI for a first draft, rewrite it completely. Add your personality, your specific examples, your actual perspective. The AI version should be unrecognizable in the final output.

Know what not to automate. Anything where personality matters: job applications, sales outreach, important client communication, do it yourself. The time you save with AI isn’t worth sounding like everyone else.

Test what actually works. If your AI generated emails are getting 5% response rates and your hand written ones get 30%, the answer is obvious. Most people never measure this.

The companies and people winning right now aren’t the ones using AI most. They’re the ones using it for the boring stuff and staying human for everything that matters.

Being different is your advantage

While everyone else is sounding like robots, being authentic is a competitive advantage.

I get cold emails every day. The ones I respond to are the ones clearly written by a human. Typos and all. The AI ones get deleted without reading.

I see LinkedIn posts constantly. The ones that get engagement are personal stories, specific opinions, anything with personality. The AI generated thought leadership pieces get ignored.

I review job applications. The candidates who write their own cover letters stand out immediately. The ChatGPT ones are obvious and forgettable.

This is the opportunity. Everyone has access to the same AI tools. Most people are using them to sound generic. You can use them smartly and still sound like yourself.

Here’s the thing

Billions are going into AI companies solving real problems. And yes, AI is powerful for automation, infrastructure, data processing, all the hard technical stuff. That investment makes sense.

But the free tools everyone’s using for writing are making us worse at communication, not better. We’re all sounding the same, being ignored more, and wondering why our emails don’t get responses.

The solution isn’t better AI. It’s remembering that communication is about connecting with humans, not optimizing word count.

Use AI for research. Use it for data. Use it for the boring repetitive stuff. But when it comes to actually talking to people, whether that’s sales, marketing, customer service, or applying for jobs, do the work yourself.

Your personality, your voice, your specific perspective, that’s what people actually respond to. AI can’t replicate that no matter how good the models get.

Don’t be the person sending robot emails. Don’t be the company with a LinkedIn feed full of generic AI content. Stand out by being human.

Oh yeah, this article was written by me and then I fed it to Claude and asked it to check for typos and improve readability but keep my writing and my own content intact.