Telling Sloppily Human Stories in an AI World

One of the greatest tragedies in the world is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it. I believe that was Oscar Wilde. Like most of his one-liners, it hits hard. It feels more true today than ever before in this rapid age of AI.

I recorded a LinkedIn Live with Arne from Future Skills Academy about the impacts of AI on storytelling. We agreed that AI is fantastic at giving you exactly what you ask for. Want a certain plot twist? It will deliver. Want a joke in the style of your favourite comedian? Here you go. But there’s a catch. When everything is available on demand, you lose the thrill of discovery. You miss out on the delight of the unexpected and that little tingle when a story surprises you.

Consider the billionaires of the world. They can buy whatever they want and often end up miserable. They get what they want but not what they need. They can buy power and political influence. They are surrounded by ‘Yes’ people who do not challenge them and help them grow. They parrot back what they want to hear. The same applies to stories that provide the obvious. You might laugh or feel briefly pleased, but you’ll never be deeply moved.

Great storytelling isn’t about offering a string of neat answers. It’s about guiding us through moments of discomfort and wonder. It’s about taking us from laughter to a lump in the throat and back again. We need to feel the scrape of pain and then the rush of relief. That’s what makes the punchline work, what makes the lesson stick, and what makes the heart expand.

As humans, our superpower is our authentic self. AI can mimic style and polish prose, but it can’t replicate the unique journeys we carry inside. Your quirks, failures, and unexpected light bulb moments are your greatest assets. When you share stories from your own life, you give people what they need, even if it’s not what they first asked for. You give them the space to learn something new about themselves, to shift their perspective and to feel seen.

So, lean into your unpredictability. Embrace the fact that sometimes, you’ll surprise even yourself. Tell the tales that made you wince, wonder, and grow. Give people that beautiful gift of the unexpected. After all, the real magic of being human isn’t in serving requests. It’s in guiding people to discover truths they never knew they wanted.

Those unexpected thrills that come from a good story come from rich details in the story. They are specific and unique because they came from real life. From real inspiration and unexpected insights that occurred in the person or team of writers who crafted the story. This is because most things that happen in real life are so weird or random that you can’t make it up.

Here’s the thing. AI will always just be AI. It will keep doing its thing, giving us what we ask for, trying to please us, and feeding our egos. But when all those neat platitudes come at us fast and fierce, what do we do?

My suggestion is to get sloppily human:

• Make mistakes
• Say stupid things
• Get emotional
• Get angry about something and feel really good about it later

And then, tell a story about it.

Double down on all the human stuff and never accept a platitude as the final answer. Dig deep into the messy story that only you can tell and then share it!

Stay messy. Stay unpredictable. Stay wonderfully, gloriously human.