I’ll be the first to admit that when artificial intelligence (AI) crops up in conversations about thought leadership, my blood pressure rises a bit. It’s not because I’m anti‑tech or think AI has no place in building authority.
Too many leaders reach for AI as a crutch: they feed it a few prompts, lift the output wholesale, and then present it as if they wrote every word themselves. That’s where lines blur, and ultimately, trust erodes—which is the last thing you want when trying to build an authority brand.
To shed light on using AI ethically and productively, I sat down with Kerrie Ann Nauseda, our Editor-in-Chief at Advantage: The Authority Company. She’s spent years helping entrepreneurs and business leaders create authentic content, and she’s keenly aware of the risks and rewards AI brings to the table.
Where AI Fits—and Where It Doesn’t
Kerrie Ann was quick to clarify: AI is a tool, not a substitute for your expertise.
If you’re leaning on AI to supply every word of a blog post or “write” your entire book, you’re passing off a machine’s output as your own. In the short term, you might churn out pages of polished text. In the long run, you risk undermining your credibility and losing the authentic tone that makes you believable in the first place.
On the flip side, AI can be hugely beneficial in helping you organize your ideas, synthesize research faster, and even find interesting data points you hadn’t considered. In other words, it’s less about replacing your input and more about scaling the work you already plan to do.
Think of it like this:
- Research Assistant: An AI tool can dig up articles, case studies, or industry statistics and summarize them quickly.
- Content Organizer: If you feed AI your own ideas and outlines, it might help you spot logical gaps or overlapping sections that need to be merged.
- Brainstorming Partner: Stuck on a particular angle? You can ask an AI tool to challenge your perspective or pose counterarguments. You still do the creative heavy lifting; AI just bounces back potential ideas.
It’s the difference between a co‑pilot and an autopilot. A co‑pilot (AI) can watch your back and make suggestions. But if you turn on autopilot the entire flight—and go take a nap in the back—you’re not the one actually doing the work, and passengers (your readers) won’t trust the journey.
Authenticity Is the Bedrock of Authority
As Kerrie Ann emphasized, authority hinges on authenticity. The moment readers suspect you’re simply pushing out AI‑generated copy, your credibility drops. Beyond that, you’re missing out on the one thing only you can bring to the table: your personal voice.
Whether it’s a unique blend of humor, data, or a particular storytelling style you’ve honed over the years, your “signature” is what differentiates you from the crowd.
That’s also why pure AI content tends to come off flat. It’s mining a massive public knowledge base to produce something that sounds correct but lacks the gritty, hard‑won insights only real humans earn through experience.
You will stagnate if you rely on AI to do your thinking for you. You won’t grow as a leader or deepen your expertise—because the machine’s feeding you safe, generic answers instead of forcing you to wrestle with your own ideas.
Using AI Ethically (Yes, That Matters)
Here’s where transparency reenters the conversation. If AI has aided you in any meaningful way—particularly in a long‑form project like a book—just say so.
Something as simple as an author’s note can clarify that while you used AI tools for research or initial brainstorming, the core ideas and final writing came from you. Readers appreciate that kind of honesty, and it demonstrates you’re not hiding behind a robot.
From a legal standpoint, we’re still in the Wild West, but it’s likely that guidelines around AI usage and disclosure will evolve quickly. Many major publishing platforms (including Audible) already prohibit fully AI‑generated works without disclosure. You don’t want to risk your hard work getting de‑listed for failing to share how you created it.
Practical Tips for Harnessing AI (the Right Way)
Here is some helpful advice Kerrie Ann offers to thought leaders who are thinking about using AI as their personal editorial assistant:
- Prompt with Purpose. Don’t just say, “Write me a chapter on leadership.” Instead, feed AI your take—your angle, your examples—and ask it to organize or challenge that perspective.
- Cross‑Check Everything. AI can lie (the industry calls it “hallucination”) or offer completely false citations. Verify any facts or quotes you plan to use.
- Own Your Unique Voice. AI can’t replicate your humor, empathy, or the “spark” you bring to an idea. Make sure every piece of content still sounds like you—even after AI helps refine or structure it.
- Stay Transparent. If you used AI, say so, especially for research or small drafting tasks. It’s better to be upfront than to get caught hiding it.
- Use a Closed Data Set (If Possible). Instead of letting an AI tool scavenge from the entire web, some advanced solutions let you upload only your own materials. The AI then works purely off your intellectual property.
Where We’re Headed
Kerrie Ann predicts that disclaimers will become more and more common. A simple note in the acknowledgments or a short author’s note might indicate the level of AI assistance you received.
Meanwhile, platforms will likely tighten up compliance rules to weed out purely AI‑written material. Ultimately, honest leaders willing to show their human work will stand out, while those leaning on shortcuts will lose credibility over time.
It comes down to this: I’m not against AI. I’m against the easy, lazy use of AI. If you plan to build your authority—through a book, a robust blog presence, or a speaking platform—use the tech to enhance your authentic ideas, not to manufacture them.
The moment your audience senses you’re phoning it in, the authority you’ve worked so hard to build cracks at the foundation.
Catch the full conversation with Kerrie Ann for an even deeper dive into ethical AI use, future regulations, and real‑life stories of authors navigating this brave new world. Let’s make sure we wield AI carefully—so it elevates your genuine insights without eroding the trust you’ve spent a lifetime building.