The Significance of Being YOU in an AI Obsessed Society

In a world full of microwaves...be a crockpot.

The value of authenticity is rising...TO THE MOON! (to borrow from 2020 vernacular).

Ever since we were wee-tot's, at one point or another, whether from parents, teachers, coaches, or mentors, we've had an age-old pearl of wisdom bequeathed upon us, ..."just be yourself". Then if you're like me, you may have looked in the mirror and thought; "what the hell does that even mean?" Talk about the most over-used, "one-ear-and-out-the-other" underwhelming advice EVER GIVEN...

But guess what folks? What if we, as human-beings, were on the precipice of a brave new world where "just being yourself" may actually hold some real value?

It also begs another question - what exactly is "authenticity"? More importantly, where exactly is the line in the sand that we stop "looking the other way" to validate blatant-unauthenticity as somehow authentic?

The "Authenticity Rubicon"

Early Pizza Hut ads billed their product as "authentic Italian pizza". Rest-assured, there is NOTHING "Italian" about the beginnings of Pizza Hut, their founders Dan and Frank Carney, and especially it's birthplace of Wichita, Kansas (haha, sorry I even had to laugh there). They still make pretty tasty pizza though, and their story has a tremendous amount of authenticity "baked-in". <--- Get it? Totally willing to let this one slide...

Let's consider another instance - take a second and Google image "vintage furniture". 90% of your results are going to be billed as "vintage", but unless your price range is WELL into the thousands, you're just playing pretend. You'll be buying the same "vintage-looking" furniture that... I don't know, maybe 20,000 other people bought this week. Hardly authentic, but I'll at least doff my cap at the effort, we all need somewhere to sit, and we've clearly created a market for "knock-offs".

Perhaps most egregious, and in some cases downright fraudulent, are the highly fabricated pictures, posts, and comments on social media (namely for us, LinkedIn). Case in point, I participate in discussion responses to "collaborative articles" on this platform to receive and sustain "Community Voice" badges. It's unfortunately a far-too-often occurrence that I come across replies that sound a little "overly-manufactured". More than once I have copied the host question from LinkedIn in to ChatGPT and was fed the same EXACT answer that I had read from "Joe Recruiter" a minute earlier...literally TO THE WORD. Sans even a small attempt to conceal, it was the good-ole direct copy and paste.

Not ironic authenticity like our friends in the pizza biz, not claiming authenticity to market something like our online shopping, but a straight slap-in-the-face to even a shred of "human-uniqueness".

It seems to me the common theme is the overwhelming urge to feel authentic or unique, without the time, experience, or story to actually be authentic or unique . We willingly turn a blind-eye to this when it's a product. I don't think (nor do I hope) that human's should be afforded the same luxury.

If there's a Rubicon that Caesar's Legion's shouldn't cross... it's that one.

With Great Power Comes...

There are some pretty scary quotes floating in the ether about artificial intelligence from some pretty intelligent people... you heard any of these yet?

"Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks" That one is from one, Stephen Hawking, dude's ya know...kinda smart. Maybe even more provocative is Sam Altman's tasty-lick, that said - "AI will probably most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there'll be great companies". That's from the CEO of OpenAI mind you...the creators of ChatGPT... ummm, YIKES.

Not going to lie, the Altman one gives me the "the willies". However, even if we are destined for a "robot-takeover", Great REQspectations will always lean to the "glass half full" side of the story, so I'll share my favorite quote about the matter - "AI won't replace humans, but humans with AI will replace humans without AI". - Karim Lakhani (Harvard University)

So therein lies the balance, right? How does one incorporate enough artificial intelligence into their daily work, or even personal life, to harness it's immense power, automate menial tasks, and help to provoke thought and inspiration while still protecting their identity, and their authenticity as a human being? More importantly, how do we promote, celebrate, and reward "realness", so that humans strive for experience and to share their experience, rather than being a ChatGPT zombie for the rest of their life? Sure, generative AI is next-level AMAZING, and we're only scratching the early surface of this infinity stone. The next few years are going to be jaw-dropping - equal parts fascinating and scary. But do we really want to live in a world where everyone's only move in every situation is to turn to AI?

More practically said...how does one "keep it real"?

When Keeping It Real Goes...RIGHT.

For anyone who had a flashback to the Chapelle Show with that subtitle, RESPECT.

According to an article from Fast Company Executive Board there are 3 pillars when it comes to "keeping it real" while living in an AI-driven world:

• Be honest
• Stand for something to stand out
• Involve real people and tell their stories

Full disclosure, the FastCompany piece was focusing on being authentic in a marketing environment, however, I think these three points are highly-translatable to most professional work settings. For instance, considering this is supposed to be a recruiting blog (even though we need a reminder of that from time to time :) , I think about my daily interactions with my candidates, co-workers, hiring managers, other recruiters, or even with the continued work on this blog; and I have to consider how these points relate to all of our everyday interactions...

As far as "being honest", that's really all I wanted when creating a newsletter. I wanted to speak from my perspective, add in my personal quirks, produce some thought-provoking content (while adding in a healthy dose of self-deprecation), and see where it goes. You may not enjoy what you read, but I assure you it was born in the peculiar nebulous of my brain - and I'll keep spewing it out...until you tell me "enough is enough" of course. I refuse to look up "the best interview questions to ask" on ChatGPT and then courier them to you. I'd like to think I'm destined for more humanity than that.

When I think about "standing for something", I'm reminded of some FANTASTIC recruiters out there preaching the "hope" gospel, and it makes me smile. To people like the Lyn King CTR, CMVR, PRC, CDR, CSMR, ACIR , Lottie Khan 's and Anna Morgan 's of the world, I'm always happy to be in your company on LinkedIn and love the optimism, cheer, and buoyant sentiment you exude, whether the "recruiter-tide" is bringing you good-fortune, or bad. If you don't follow those 3 accounts, you totally should by the way. You want to talk authenticity? Look them up! My dream is that my online presence is thought of by others the way I think of theirs.

Finally, a good lesson for all of us - don't ever shy away from TELLING YOUR STORY or invoking your experience. And here's a little ditty for ya - talk about times you've failed, times you've had to have a second chance, or times you've had to learn hard lessons. Us humans, we lick the bowl with that stuff! Hearing how you've overcome something in your life whether it was external or self-inflicted makes you a real person. AI can't compete with that, and if it ever does, I'll give up and join the robot-revolution.

I know, I know...this is the last part...

Apologies for the long-article, I guess I had to drive home the idea that I actually wrote this piece (slightly-sarcastic smile).

In the end, let's go back to the beginning, and that vague, mildly goofy quote. My wife will laugh at this because I definitely lean towards using the microwave around the house...but in my daily life I hope I am "crockpot-ing" it.

Crockpot meals take time. All the ingredients need to blend, meld together, and simmer slowly to create layered flavors that hopefully come out aromatic, rich, and tender. Microwaves involve food that was already created for you...you just pushed a button to heat it up. Is there a time and a place for a microwave...yes! Leftovers, and when you're in a hurry.

Don't be in a hurry to tell your story... the more experience you gain, the more authentic you will be.

Don't take it from me though, take it from my son JJ, he knows what's up... AND DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article! If you or someone you know hasn't subscribed, please take the time to "smash" (lol) the "Subscribe" button. Most importantly please don't forget to Like, Comment, or Share. Your interaction is what I'm going for, but the only way we bring more people into the conversation is by interaction and word-of-mouth.

Also, if you have any good ideas for future newsletters shoot me an e-mail, [email protected]. I'd love to discuss with you!