In the age of AI, ‘old-school AI’ is what will set you apart

I’ve been teaching strategic communication at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) and coaching executives for almost two decades. Recently, I’m consistently hit with one concern from students and executives alike: With AI taking over, what will be left for me? It’s a fair question. When AI can complete many of our administrative tasks better and faster than we can, what will set us apart? My answer: the original, Old School AI, Authenticity and Influence. As technology seeps into every corner of our lives, the characteristics that define us as humans will become our competitive advantage. Why Old School AI and Why Now? Creating content is cheaper and easier than ever; LLMs can spew out a cohesive novel in a dozen prompts and your quarterly report in a fraction of that. But the nonstop stream of AI content comes at the cost of quality. When AI slop is everywhere, what matters is the human behind the novel or report. We want to know, are they real? Do they care? Are they trustworthy? Think about it: We’re deep in the “uncanny valley” with AI agents and chatbots still lacking in humanness. That gap is where we humans find our foothold. The research on persuasion is consistent: people trust people. AI can mimic caring. It can generate a tidy three-bullet summary or a polished memo in seconds. But it cannot show up in the room or on Zoom the way humans do. It cannot lean in and show empathy when a colleague seems uncertain or uncomfortable. It cannot quickly pivot when the conversation takes an unexpected turn. It cannot pick up on the meaning behind the words, sensing confusion, doubt, excitement, or fear. The leaders we trust, the colleagues we rely on, and the speakers we remember all share a similar pattern. Their communication is improvisational, creating connection and meaning tailored to the audience’s needs in the moment. While sometimes flawed, it is undeniably real — and that authenticity and influence create trust. Now is the time to enhance and hone