I’m going to start this blog with a shoutout to one of my favorite writers: Ann Handley, who started a Justice for Em Dashes campaign. USING AN EM DASH DOESN’T MEAN IT’S AI. (And yes, I love book merch, and anyone can buy me swag for a gift.) A little atom of my soul dies every time I see an em dash get cut from a draft. Look back over my writing for the last 20 years. I’ve been using em dashes VERY enthusiastically since college.
Thank you for attending my TED Talk on em dashes. It ties in, I promise. How many times have you seen the “If it has em dashes, it was written by AI” post? Transitioning to the blog topic: How do we Find Our Better in content marketing in the age of AI?
Human Creativity + AI/Machine Automation in Content Marketing
The most effective content marketing today isn’t human or AI—it’s a deliberate workflow split where each does what it does best. At BFT, we’re not anti-AI. We’re trying to use the tools available—responsibly—to improve the work.
What does that look like? Glad you asked.
What Machines Do Well
We’re willing to give credit where it’s due. Here’s where AI can dramatically speed up and strengthen your content marketing process:
- Scale and speed
Generating drafts, variations, and outlines in seconds - Data analysis
Identifying trending topics, optimal posting times, and audience segments - Personalization at scale
Tailoring content for thousands of micro-segments simultaneously - SEO optimization
Keyword research, meta descriptions, internal linking suggestions - Repurposing
Transforming a blog post into social snippets, email copy, and video or podcast scripts automatically
The #1 key is: Don’t take the first output and post it. That’s the lazy way out. We’re not here for the first draft from AI. We want the gold nuggets hidden inside. And it will take a human mind to analyze (or…mine? Is it a pun too far?) to find the best gems.
What Humans Do Best
Yes, it’s possible to feed your brand guidelines, your case studies, your whitepapers, and your thought capital into an AI model so it can “learn your voice.” But as far as your content marketing goes, it’s not quite there.
These are the strengths only humans can contribute—and where it really counts:
- Original insight
Lived experience, contrarian takes, and genuine expertise AI can’t fabricate - Emotional resonance
Knowing why something matters to an audience, not just that it does - Brand voice and taste
The judgment to know what’s on-brand, surprising, or culturally timely - Relationship-driven storytelling
Interviews, customer narratives, and community trust - Ethical judgment
Recognizing when content could mislead, harm, or ring hollow
Don’t cop out. Trust yourself. Lean in on these strengths because you know you have the edge on AI here. AI can handle the heavy lifting, sure—but the magic still comes from the humans. These are the places where our brains beat the bots every time.
The Winning Content Marketing AI Collaboration Model
This rough model is very professional because I’m a graphic designer (ask Tyler & Daniel how many people at BFT have design software).
Humans set strategy → AI ideates → Humans refine
That’s the idea of the workflow—but the real magic happens in the human‑powered parts.
- Ideation
Humans identify the insight or angle; AI brainstorms formats and angles around it - Production
AI generates first drafts, headlines, and variations at speed - Editing
Humans inject voice, nuance, and accuracy—the “soul layer” - Distribution
AI handles scheduling, A/B testing, and performance tracking - Learning
Humans interpret what the data means and adjust strategy accordingly
This is how we play nice in the sandbox. This is the stuff AI can’t fake. It’s also what keeps your content sounding like you—not the internet’s average.
The Real Risk to Avoid in Content Marketing with AI
The danger isn’t AI replacing creativity—it’s creativity being skipped entirely.
When teams use AI to produce content faster without investing in better ideas, the result is more noise, not more value.
Companies are already tuning out generic, AI-flavored content. (Surely you can identify it.) And if you can spot it, so can your customers.
The brands winning right now use AI to protect human creative time. They automate the tedious so writers, strategists, and editors can focus on the ideas that actually build trust and loyalty.
The bottom line: AI may help navigate the route, but human creativity is what actually drives the journey forward. Together, they make the whole operation faster and more meaningful—but only when humans stay in the driver’s seat on strategy and voice.
