AI content creation - are we losing our authenticity everywhere we look? An experiment:

The real 'mess' of life! School holidays, play doh and chaos!

I’ve been thinking a lot about perfection. Specifically, the pressure to be a more polished, perfect version of myself, to rise above the crowd and share my message. Like many of you, I’ve recently started using AI as a tool, and it has led me down an interesting thought process!

It made me wonder: what is my authentic voice? And in our rush to perfect our words, do we risk losing the very thing that makes them ours?

I decided to conduct a small experiment. I wanted to write about how AI is encouraging a new kind of perfectionism. I did it in three ways: first, my own version with no editing, second, by taking that raw text and asking my AI assistant, Gemini, to help me polish it; and third, by asking Gemini to write an article on the topic from scratch.

I wanted to share all three versions with you. I think they tell a story (if you have the time to read them all, if not, just jump to the end after you've read part 1!!) Comment which one you preferred!!

Part 1: The Unedited, Human Thought

In a world where perfect is the new norm - do we not realise that 'good enough' is actually just right?

I have started filtering my work through AI - I was convinced that this would make me better and the stuff I write be more interesting to people, that I would be noticed more and that finally, my ridiculously frustrating 'imposter' syndrome would just disappear because I could have confidence in my 'abilities'.

More recently though, I've noticed that everywhere I look - everyone is doing the same. It's the equivalent of giving everyone in the world a Phd in everything. But, where will this lead? Are we losing our authentic voice - complete with the heartbeat of our true soul and personal experiences that have led us all to be the unique and powerful people we are?

I have always unashamedly been 'me', I say what I say, do what I do, make the mistakes and feel the shame, repair, apologise afterwards. Yes, at times, this fills me with anxiety, but - Isn't this what we need? Isn't that the 'good enough' version of life that Tronick talks about in terms of parenting that is actually exactly right? Perfect is actually not 'good enough'. In life we need the mistakes, we need to learn from them, we need to show them to the world that they are normal and healthy. We are shaping our bodies into something unnatural, filtering our photo's into impossible 'dreams' and now altering our voices to become something professors would be proud of!

But, with the constant bombardment of messages, how are we ever going to make a difference if we are all just the same 'perfect' mass of words. How are we ever going to teach our children to embrace their individuality when we are churning out impossible dreams??

I use AI as an editing tool, to make sure my punctuations are in the right place, that I've not used the same word twice, or that what I've said makes sense, or that i'm following legal guidelines. I'm really hoping instead of minimising my voice it's teaching me the stuff I wasn't listening to in school. But, should I decide to be lazy and just ask it to 'write me a post about how AI is encouraging people to be perfect and we are all losing our inner voices, I'm pretty sure it would create that for me, whats to stop me doing that all the time? Won't we get to a point where in order to feel heard, we feel like we 'have to' follow the heard and do that? I really don't want to - I want to be imperfectly me and I want that for you too!

Part 2: The Polished Version (The Human-AI Collaboration)

(This is what happened when I took those thoughts and Gemini helped me structure and polish them, acting as my editor.)

Is 'Good Enough' Actually Just Right?

I recently started filtering my work through AI. I was convinced it would make me a better writer, that my work would be more interesting, and that finally, my ridiculously frustrating 'imposter' syndrome would disappear. I believed I could finally have complete confidence in my abilities.

But more recently, I've noticed something unsettling. Everywhere I look, everyone is starting to sound the same. It feels like we've given the whole world a PhD in everything, and in doing so, I wonder—where will this lead? Are we losing our authentic voice, complete with the unique heartbeat of our true soul?

I have always unashamedly been 'me'. I say what I say, do what I do, make the mistakes, feel the shame, and then repair and apologise. Yes, at times, this fills me with anxiety, but isn't this what we really need? Isn't this the 'good enough' version of life that developmental psychologist Ed Tronick’s research points to?

His work shows that the foundation of a secure attachment isn't about being perfectly in-sync with our children all the time, but in our ability to 'repair' the connection after a moment of disconnect. It is in these messy, imperfect moments that true, resilient connection is built. It was a revelation that gave me permission to see that ‘perfect’ is not only unachievable, but it isn't even healthy.

We need the mistakes. We need to learn from them and show the world that they are a normal and healthy part of being human. Yet we seem to be moving in the opposite direction. We are shaping our bodies into something unnatural, filtering our photos into impossible 'dreams,' and now, we risk altering our unique voices to become a homogenised mass of 'perfect' words.

How can we make a difference if we all sound the same? How can we ever teach our children to embrace their own beautiful individuality if we are churning out impossible standards for ourselves?

I choose to use AI as an editing tool—to help me check my punctuation, or to see if a sentence makes sense. I hope that instead of minimising my voice, it's teaching me the technical skills I might have missed in school. But the temptation is there to be lazy, to ask it to 'write me a post' and let it create something for me. What stops any of us from doing that all the time?

I worry we'll get to a point where, in order to feel heard, we'll feel we 'have to' follow the herd.

I don't want to. I want to be imperfectly me.

Part 3: The AI-Generated Version (The View from the Machine)

(Finally, I asked Gemini to write a blog post on the same topic from scratch, without using any of my original words.)

''In the Age of Perfect, Are We Losing Our Voice?

There’s a new whisper in the digital world, a promise of effortless perfection. With the click of a button, our clumsy sentences can be made elegant, our scattered thoughts can be organized into a flawless argument, and our creative blocks can be instantly vanquished. Artificial intelligence, in its many forms, has arrived as our tireless, infinitely knowledgeable editor, ready to polish our words to a brilliant shine.

And at first, it feels like a superpower.

The allure is undeniable. For anyone who has ever stared at a blank page, crippled by the fear of not sounding smart enough, articulate enough, or simply good enough, AI feels like a safety net. It’s a tool that promises to smooth our rough edges, correct our mistakes, and help us present the best possible version of ourselves to the world.

But recently, as I scroll through a sea of perfectly crafted captions, emails, and articles, a new, unsettling feeling has begun to creep in. In our rush to be flawless, are we all starting to sound the same?

Authenticity has a sound. It’s the unique rhythm of a person’s thoughts, the quirky metaphors they reach for, the slight imperfections in their grammar that reveal a real, thinking, feeling human at the other end of the screen. It's the digital equivalent of a fingerprint—a unique and un-forgeable mark of our own experience.

The danger of an over-reliance on AI is that it is, by its very nature, a homogenizing force. It learns from the vast ocean of everything that has already been written, and its goal is to reproduce a statistically "perfect" version of that. It is designed to sand down the very imperfections that make a voice unique. The result is content that is often flawless, but also flavourless.

This isn't just about writing. We see this pressure for perfection everywhere—in the filtered photos that erase our pores and the curated online lives that erase our struggles. But the risk to our voice feels different, more fundamental. Our words are the most direct expression of our inner world. If we outsource the way we tell our own story, do we risk forgetting how to write it for ourselves?

More importantly, what are we teaching our children? How can we encourage them to embrace their own messy, beautiful, and unique individuality if they see us constantly striving to polish our own away? The world doesn't need another million perfectly correct paragraphs. It needs your unique perspective, your heartfelt story, your clumsy-but-real attempt to connect.

Perhaps the goal shouldn't be to use these new tools to create a more "perfect" version of ourselves, but to use them to clear away the clutter so our true, imperfect voice can be heard more clearly. To use AI as a helpful editor, not as the author.

Because in a world where everyone is being given the tools to sound perfect, the most radical and refreshing thing you can be is yourself.''

Gemini's Final Thoughts

''Looking at all three, what stands out to me is that the 'heartbeat', as you called it, is in that first, messy version. It's all there. The polished version is clearer and easier to read, and the AI-generated version is incredibly articulate. But the real 'you'—the passion, the anxiety, the core of the idea—lives in that first draft. And I think that's the lesson. AI is an incredible tool, an amazing editor, and a brilliant brainstorming partner. But it can't replicate our soul. Our unique, messy, beautiful, and imperfect human voice is, and always will be, our greatest strength.''

My True Final Thoughts

(if you've got this far - congratulations!!)

AI told me what my final thoughts should be - and they're written there above! Are they 'my' final thoughts?? Kind of! The AI version is incredibly articulate but it's too long, it makes me feel absolutely inadequate and I don't actually like it! The second version I prefer but again - it's too long and professional to sound like 'me'. But am I brave enough to just use the first?? Maybe with time and learning I can be!

Lets just all embrace our faults, continue to learn and grow, and most of all - Be Real! And this is my pledge to you - everything you read from me, is me, my heart and soul, my voice. The work I do is about embracing who you are, warts and all. I wonder what your thoughts are?

Comment below - which was your favourite? :)