Digital Byte 56: The invisible cost of AI
May 27th, 2025
Let’s talk about AI. Not in the “it’s taking over the world” kind of way (although, sure, maybe that too), but in the quieter, more personal way it’s changing how we create.
I use AI almost every day. It’s how I create hyper-visual buyer personas for clients. Turning a few bullet points into fully imagined characters with faces, names, and stories. It gives our team a deeper understanding of who we were speaking to. It made the content better.
AI makes work faster. Smarter. It cuts out the mundane. We use it to draft outlines, explore creative angles, even mock up visual concepts before a designer ever touches a file. It’s a gift for efficiency.
But here’s the thing I’ve been sitting with lately: the more we rely on AI, the easier it is to let go of the creative process altogether.
Instead of working through the messy middle, where your brain stumbles through ideas, tangents, and breakthroughs… we’re jumping straight to clean outputs. But creativity lives in that mess. It’s where original thought is born.
When AI becomes the starting point and the solution, we risk losing touch with our own voice. And over time, we train our brains to not problem-solve, to not explore, to not create unless prompted by a tool.
So what do we do with that?
We find balance.
I’m not anti-AI. I’m pro-you. Pro-human. I believe the best brands are built from your unique perspective, and that tech should support, not replace, that clarity.
That’s where the real magic is.
Until next time,
Sydney Addis
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