On Thursday at our summit, Jay Clouse said something that stopped the room:

That line has been rattling around my brain all weekend.

Because I think it highlights the biggest mistake people are making with AI and their personal brand right now:

Use AI on the back-end, not the front-end

Yes of course you should be using AI privately as:

• A thinking partner
• To brainstorm ideas
• To organise messy thoughts

But AI slop is being rejected heavily right now. Nobody wants:

• Videos that almost look real
• Posts that feel vague and generic
• Writing that sounds polished but empty

Trust is scarce right now and trust is the real currency.

A Simple Filter Before You Publish

Ask yourself:

If the answer is yes - don’t publish it.

If it sounds like everyone else, it won’t build authority.

Here's another big takeaway Ali Abdaal shared. He shared something beautifully simple.

Every time he works on a YouTube video he asks himself:

If the answer is no, he doesn’t make the video and the same goes for a newsletter he writes or a LinkedIn post.

What I've seen to be true time and time again is that the best creators maintain a ruthless bar for usefulness.

Having that bar matters more now than ever before.

Here's what you should double down:

1. Show up as you

• Upload real photos of you doing things
• Speak in your real voice
• Write like you talk

2. Use the 10–80–10 for writing with AI (h/t Olly Richards)

10% input - provide direction to the LLM in a high-quality prompt

80% first draft - let the LLM write a first draft which you actively refine

10% final touches - rewrite parts that don't sound like you and add extra details

The content still flying on LinkedIn includes personal stories, specific details and lived experience.

3. Create a “Usefulness Persona”

Define clearly who you write for. Then ask:

• Will this help them make progress?
• Will this reduce friction in their life?
• Will this solve an active problem for them?

If not - refine it or scrap it because it won't perform anymore and it's wasting people's time.

Use AI on the back-end to save time, never outsource or edit who you are.

What made content high quality hasn't changed. I hope this was useful 😅