I know, I know, I should have studied computer science at Stanford, but noooo, I had to go somewhere cold to study Shakespeare.

I’m not proud of it, but I did learn one thing that’s stuck with me: we have to be careful about the metaphors and descriptors we use.

If I ever wrote “this”/”that”/”these”/or “it” without explicitly saying what “it” was, you’d better believe I got marked down.

If I ever used a cliché/trope/or tired metaphor, there was zero chance of me getting an A.

Most of the people I work with today chose a much smarter path than me, pursuing medicine, computer science, or robotics instead of just arguing about triangles in Poe's "The Purloined Letter".

But today, when companies everywhere write about their products, they consistently use clichés/tropes/and tired metaphors. And AI is making things worse.

It’s certainly easy to say on your website that your product is like David vs. Goliath. But what does it mean? Are you aware of what, exactly, you are invoking when you say such things? And all of the baggage that comes along with it? The problem with most of us is that we don’t really think about the language that we use in our marketing; we just let auto-complete finish the sentence for us. And AI is the best auto-complete in town.

The quickest way to improve your messaging is to systematically go through and remove every cliché, every well-worn phrase, and everything you’ve heard before and start fresh. Describe the situation and problem as it really is. Instead of reaching for multiple old metaphors, try to create a new one that is uniquely yours.

It'll just make us a faster version of whatever we already are.

Like every other human tool, people will use AI for a spectrum of tasks ranging from altruistic to pure evil to just plain stupid.

Stupid: Using AI to analyze past performance of the recent stock market or crypto to try to predict the future of the market for high-volume trading and short-term gains.

Smart: Using AI to create a system that reminds you NOT to invest. Codifying Warren Buffett’s belief that if everyone had a punch card for only 20 lifetime trades, they’d be better off. An app that 99.99% of the time tells you to do nothing, except for the exceedingly rare moment when a stake in a great business is actually cheap relative to its intrinsic value.

But which one are you most likely to see as an ad on social media?

AI has the power to magnify our virtues and our vices.

We must decide whether we’ll use it to become more efficient idiots or to systematically improve our character.

When we assume a role of authority, whether that’s a teacher, a CEO, or a parent, we often believe that authority=I am always right.

The teacher teaches.

The students learn.

Not the other way around!

We believe that admitting our mistakes will diminish us in the eyes of our subordinates.

In fact, The opposite is true.

The leaders who gain the most loyalty and love from their teams emphatically admit that they were wrong, and quickly.

When building brands, or building anything, the tendency is to reach for familiar, generic ideas.

Perhaps there’s an effect you saw on someone else’s website. Or a concept you grabbed from a competitor’s socials.

In our copywriting, in our design, in our videos… the pull towards the status quo is ever-present. The tools we use by default pull us towards mediocrity and sameness.

But if we can take something generic and turn it into something that’s ours, we change from a brand to THE brand.

A 3D particle cloud swirling around? Pretty cool.

A 3D particle cloud swirling around in the exact shape of your logo? World-class.

A well-worn expression? Useful, but uninspiring.

Creating a new vernacular, style, or punctuation just for your brand? Now we’re talking.

When you reach for something—anything—take the extra step to turn every generic thing into a specific thing, and you’ll stand far above the competition.

Perhaps you’re carrying last season’s Chanel bag. How dare you!?

Or maybe your belt isn’t the right flavor of Hermès.

Your nails are dirty. Your cufflinks… You don’t have cufflinks!?

The wealthy pick up on all kinds of subtle cues to quickly assess whether a stranger is in the club or not. This is nothing new.

The rest of us are giving off “I’m not rich” signals constantly, that we don’t even realize we are broadcasting.

The same will soon be true of AI-generated content.

You think: “I’m building a website that looks great using AI—no one can tell the difference!”

You think: “My presentation that was made entirely with AI has them all fooled!”

In reality: AI-generated assets broadcast to the world AI signals. They (re)use clichés and tropes that we will all be increasingly familiar with.

AI-generated walls of text signal: “Don’t read me. I’m not important.”

Investors know. Customers will know.

At least you should also know.