Using AI to Become Interesting: One Thing to Do and One Thing Not to Do

One thing I really enjoy seeing on social media is how many people create “follow-along” posts. These are posts that react to stories already covered by major news outlets. The problem is that most of them are simply summaries of the original reporting, sometimes with a small twist that doesn’t add much value.

These posts often get plenty of likes and views. However, they rarely lead to meaningful professional connections or new opportunities. People often say “quality over quantity,” but measuring quality is hard.

This piece is not about chasing higher CPMs (cost per mille, in advertising terms). It’s about creating niche content that may not appeal to everyone but resonates deeply with people who share your interests. Those connections are often far more valuable in the long run.

Never Do This: Use AI to Restate a Popular Story

Many professionals tell me they use AI to rewrite their posts. They train it to write in their voice, feed it a well-known story, and ask it to “rewrite this in my style.”

The problem is that people can tell when this happens. The signs are obvious:

• The post simply repeats a major news story. (And honestly, The New York Times will always tell a better version of the facts.)

• The angle is weak or missing entirely.

• The takeaways sound generic, such as “NFTs are speculative” or “Be careful when buying a used car.”

  
  

Those kinds of statements are safe, but they don’t add insight. If your post sounds cautious, predictable, or overly polished, it probably came from a model that has learned to avoid risk rather than take creative chances.

Do This Instead: Use AI as a Stringer Service

If you want original topics, start where others aren’t looking.

Use AI as a news stringer service—your own virtual journalist that finds stories larger outlets tend to overlook. Ask it to identify underreported stories from regional news outlets, business journals, or local broadcast stations. Avoid major papers that mostly reprint stories from Reuters or the Associated Press.

Recently, I came across a significant intellectual property issue affecting many nonprofits. It had real legal implications for organizations I work with, so I won’t go into detail. The key point is that I discovered it through regional news sources. That one story became the foundation for an advisory piece that offered genuine value to my network and even led to new business opportunities.

When you use AI this way, it helps you discover stories that haven’t yet reached the mainstream conversation. You can then add your own expertise and perspective, rather than recycling what everyone has already said.

A Final Thought

AI has made it easier than ever to produce content that sounds smart. What it can’t do for you is make your content interesting. The more people use AI to repeat what’s already out there, the less original their voices become.

The real opportunity is to use AI to explore rather than imitate. Let it help you uncover ideas others haven’t noticed yet. Then use your judgment and experience to explain why those ideas matter