Short on time? Here’s the whole article in four lines.
- Not everything should go to AI, even when it could.
- Two questions decide it: how much is at stake, and how personal is it?
- High stakes and deeply personal? Keep it human. Apologies, hard news, and moments of grief deserve your own words.
- Watch for over-reliance. AI should make you more capable, not less confident in your own judgment.
Before you hand something to AI, ask: What happens if this goes wrong? And: Does this need to come from me?
| Situation | Why it should come from you |
|---|---|
| Apologizing to an upset client | They need to feel that you understand, not a polished template |
| Delivering bad news (a price increase, a cancellation, letting someone go) | How you say it matters as much as what you say |
| A condolence or get-well message | Grief and illness call for real presence |
| Final decisions about money, contracts, or your health | You carry the consequences, and AI can be wrong |
| Your core story and values | It’s what makes your business yours |
AI can still help you prepare. Ask it to help you plan what to say, then say it in your own words.
If any of these sound familiar, try a few days of writing first drafts yourself, then using AI only to polish. Your own judgment is the skill that makes AI safe to use.
Ruth is a life coach. When a longtime client’s father passed away, her first instinct was to ask AI for help with the card. She’d been using it for everything.
She stopped, put the laptop away, and wrote three handwritten sentences about the time the client told her a story about her dad. The client later said it was the card she kept.
Ruth still uses AI every day. Just not for that.
