How to Separate Yourself from The Machines

Everyone is panicking about AI replacing creators.

LinkedIn is flooded with posts about ChatGPT writing better than humans. YouTube is filled with videos about Midjourney making artists obsolete.

And X... well, X does what X does, fuelling the pessimists every step of the way.

But here's what most people are missing: The real threat isn't AI replacing creators. The threat is creators who leverage AI replacing creators who don't.

But there's an even bigger opportunity that everyone's overlooking, one that could make you truly irreplaceable.

Let’s explore it together.

The False Narrative

Most creators are asking the wrong question. They're asking "How do I compete with AI?" when they should be asking "How do I build something AI can't replicate?"

The mainstream advice? "Just be more human."

But that's surface-level thinking. Being human isn't enough. There are plenty of mediocre human creators out there.

The key is to build on elements that can't be replicated by data and algorithms.

Here's what this means for you:

The Three Competitive Levers

1. Deep Domain Expertise

Deep domain expertise isn't just about knowing your field. It's about having real-life insights that can't be scraped from the internet.

Think about it: AI can only learn from existing data. It can't generate truly original insights. It can't challenge conventional wisdom based on real experience.

Your expertise shouldn't come from consuming content, that's what AI does. It should come from living it, testing it, and discovering what works through trial and error.

2. Cross-Domain Mastery

AI excels at single-domain tasks. But it struggles with novel combinations.

When I combine insights from my background in music, marketing, and philosophy, I create perspectives that AI can't replicate because these connections don't exist in its training data.

Your unique combination of experiences creates patterns that AI can't see.

3. First-Hand Experience

AI can write about entrepreneurship, but it can’t experience the anxiety of leaving a stable job or the risk of putting your savings on the line. It can describe failure, but it can't understand the emotional toll of losing everything and starting over.

These experiences shape your perspective, enabling you to connect with your audience on a deeper level. They provide the raw material for creating truly distinctive content.

The Strategic Shift

Here's where it gets interesting.

Most creators are moving in the wrong direction. They're trying to create more content, faster, using AI with little to no human input.

But chasing quantity is a losing game.

The real opportunity is in moving from:

• Content Creator → Insight Creator

• Information Sharer → Pattern Recogniser

• Knowledge Curator → Wisdom Synthesiser

The New Creator Stack

The winners in the AI era won't be those who resist AI or those who rely on it entirely.

They'll be the ones who:

1. Use AI to handle the mechanical aspects of creation

2. Focus their human energy on insight generation

3. Build systems that combine and leverage both

Here's what this looks like in practice:

Start with your lived experience. What unique insights have you gained? What patterns have you noticed that others miss? What does your intuition say?

Use AI strategically for the mechanical aspects of creation, researching supporting evidence, expanding on your core ideas, handling basic editing, and formatting content for different platforms.

But reserve your energy for the elements that truly matter like generating original insights, thinking strategically about your market, recognising patterns that others miss, and creating content that resonates on an emotional level with your audience.

This is where the real value lies, and it's where your creative energy should be focused. Keep in mind that AI is only as good as the person using it. Train it to serve you.

The Paradox of AI-Proofing

Here's the counterintuitive truth: The more you understand AI's capabilities, the more you should focus on what AI can't do.

Draw unexpected connections, challenge assumptions, and build insights from personal experience. Don't waste time competing with AI at processing information.

Dig deeper into your unique experiences and make bolder connections across domains. Share insights that challenge conventional wisdom rather than reinforce it.

Focus on building value from the elements of your journey that can't be replicated by algorithms: your struggles, your discoveries, and the wisdom you've earned through experience and hard-learned lessons.

Your Next Steps

1. Audit your current creator business

• What aspects of your work are purely mechanical?

• Where does your true competitive advantage lie?

• What elements are uniquely human?

2. Identify your unique angles

• What experiences have shaped your perspective?

• What unconventional combinations create your edge?

• What insights do you have that can't be googled?

3. Redesign (or refine) your offer

• Focus on transformation over information

• Lead with your unique expertise

• Design for high-value outcomes

The Future Belongs to the Synthesisers

The creators who will thrive are insight synthesisers who can see patterns others miss and forge unexpected connections across different domains.

They generate novel perspectives by combining diverse experiences and channel their earned wisdom that goes beyond readily available information.

This is the kind of value that algorithms can't replicate, no matter how sophisticated they become. This is how you become truly irreplaceable.

If you found this valuable, share it with a friend.

Until next time, Keep creating!

Omara

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