Steven Bartlett Chooses Humanity Over AI on LinkedIn

Steven Bartlett, known for his podcast "The Diary of a CEO," has made a significant decision regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in his media company, FlightStory. While he has widely embraced AI in various aspects of his business, he has chosen to stop using it for his LinkedIn posts. This decision is based on the observation that AI-generated content often lacks depth and emotional resonance on this platform.

Christiana Brenton, Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder of FlightStory, explained in an interview with Business Insider that human-written posts have a unique ability to stand out in the constant stream of content. She emphasized that "when the world leans left, the opportunity is on the right," indicating that content written by humans has a chance to shine. "You can really see the AI's rough draft," she stated, adding that the opportunity lies in authentic, human-written content.

Brenton also mentioned that human-written posts take longer to craft, but they have shown better performance than those produced by AI. She added that if you follow Steven, you will notice spelling mistakes and errors that are left uncorrected by choice, which helps make the content feel more human.

LinkedIn has recently taken steps to protect the authenticity of users' news feeds by cracking down on artificially boosted posts and automated comments, according to recent blog articles from the company.

The significant push for AI at FlightStory began last year when Bartlett challenged his staff to a two-month competition to use AI agents in their work. Since then, FlightStory, which is a unit of the holding company Steven.com, has integrated AI into its operations, including an AI content effort it calls "Project Gutenberg," in homage to the inventor of the printing press.

However, certain parts of the company's work, such as the final editing phase of AI-generated content, remain managed by humans. This includes the upcoming animated show, "Steven's World," which is also produced by human staff. Isaac Martin, Chief Innovation Officer at FlightStory, highlighted that certain aspects of content, such as pacing and emotional engagement, cannot be replicated by AI. FlightStory is also exploring new ways to value the human touch, including content inspired by Bartlett's "Behind The Diary" series, which focuses on low-production, advice-rich videos.