AI;DR

It used to be the case that writing a document to clearly express an idea was such a significant obstacle that by the time someone did write said document, it was obviously a valuable artifact because it was clearly thought through and the work was done to carefully craft it.

AI broke that. Now having a document is of almost no value at all, because I can generate a long and coherent document on any topic you’d like with a small prompt.

So what’s left to be valuable if it’s not the document? It’s the “clearly thought through” part. That means: a recommendation. A human has spent the time and effort to evaluate a document, understand it, and then assert that “this is worth the time.”

So that’s the standard. You put your reputation on the line to claim that this is worth the time. You spend some credibility to make that assertion. If someone reads and agrees that it’s worth the time, you get that credibility back with interest. If they disagree, you’ve lost your credibility in the eyes of that reader.

So, the goal is: create content—through AI or not—which you are willing to spend your credibility on.

Pro tip: don’t entrust AI with your hard-fought credibility. Make sure your document is stamped with your seal of approval. And whenever possible, make the document shorter.¹