Was this why 84 people unsubscribed?
In August, Brilliant AI wrote all five of my newsletters.
Not a draft, not a suggestion – the whole thing.
And sent them.
I was taking the month off, so I saw what was written and posted at the same time as you.
Here’s the interesting part: the content was good, Heppell-themed, with some moments of brilliance.
But something was off.
There was little warmth, no story to pull you in, no sideways insight that made you pause and think – Aha!
It was like listening to a ‘player piano’. Perfectly tuned, set to autoplay, technically flawless, but missing soul.
AI is incredible, there’s no doubt. But should it replace humans? Or enhance them?
84 readers unsubscribed in August. It could be they didn’t like Brilliant AI’s content or something else.
I’m curious – how did those Brilliant AI-written newsletters land with you?
If you missed them they’re all here:
Newsletter 1: Break, Breathe, Bloom
Newsletter 2: Mastering Time: Overcome Overwhelm
Newsletter 3: Ignite Your Creativity: Unleash Innovation
Newsletter 4: Serve with Excellence: Your Reputation Depends on It
Newsletter 5: Embrace Change: Build Resilience and Adaptability
Did they resonate, or were you left wanting something more?
The real Michael (Moi) would love to know your thoughts.
Please leave them here.
Be Brilliant!
Michael
comments
add comment
Hi
The link doesn’t seem to be working so I’ll just email you my thoughts.
I tuned out, didn’t unsubscribe, but yes they were both informative and spectacularly unengaging, which is what I love about AI.
Because the internet is so utterly magnificent and yet shit now, it’s a morass of data you can’t navigate with google any more because google has abandoned getting you what you really are searching for, to hunker down on what advertisers want to tell you about.
So when I asked Google “how much does a 7ft x 11ft shipping container weigh?” (you couldn’t make it up) Google only gave me links to places I could buy a shipping container.
When I asked Copilot it told me this:
“typically it weighs 8,300 pounds”
How absolutely magnificent is that?!
It’s a completely different job I want from AI than I want from you, you can’t help me get the information I really need from the world wide web and it can’t give me the inspiration I need from you
Happy days!
Welcome back!
Jane
The link to leave a comment was on a 404 funnily. (It is fixed now!)
I didn’t unsubscribe but yes was left wanting more and missed the ‘Heppell twist!”
We use AI to a certain degree but it just doesn’t think the same – very soul-less!!!
“We want Heppell, we want Heppell, we want Heppell”
It’s the personal nuance that makes it ‘you’.
The posts were Nice, well-written, and clear. However, the human element was somehow missing. It reminds me of reading a theory book that says what should be done but omits the real-life comments that a real person would add when giving a presentation/training on the same topic.
Great experiment but doesn’t replace the real thing 😊
The AI emails were good, well presented with good information – they just lacked your human touch that gives me a smile when I read them.
I did not receive the mailings from Ai . I have read them and I would have unsubscribed because I would have felt de valued by you .
The message I would have received would have been you thought I was worth a computer advising me on life was good enough- that was all I was worth ! It conveyed the message that a computer could manage inspirational advice , so why would I need you anymore ?
It would be like you inviting me to come into your house for a cup of tea and finding a teasmade machine and a laptop .
When people read your posts they do so because they have bought into another human being who wants to share their life with them , someone to walk the journey with them , for some it would be like an encouraging parent ! To then read that you had left them with AI would have been a devastating experience !
I would also point out that the link to leave a comment didn’t work , but the links for what you are selling do work fine.
I don’t want to be rude or negative but you asked for comment and opinion
I hope you get people back
Take care
Judith
For what it’s worth, I didn’t read any of the AI articles. I want (and need) the personal touch, and knowing it was AI generated was a real turn off for me. So I don’t know it they lacked emotion or anything else. I just didn’t want to read them, so I didn’t.
Your link to leave thoughts doesn’t seem to be working.
Here are my thoughts:
I read the first couple and since then have simply deleted them.
I normally read the whole of your real postings.
The AI posting, although using words you have used and sort of in your style, just didn’t get through to me.
I think your real message above does hit the nail on the head.
There is a lot of AI generated content online and the only AI stuff I can bear to read is technical summaries from very long documents I don’t have the time to read myself.
When AI learns to be politically incorrect where appropriate and develops a sense of humour it might be worth reading non technical content.
I think your analysis is pretty spot on. Wasn’t as punchy, or ‘you’ as normal. That said, there could well be some unconscious bias at play. Would be interesting if you shared it was you after all!
I thought that they did provoke some thinking in me and I liked that they were on offer when you were not 😊
They did seem to be in your style or a reasonable mimic of your style but the ‘real’ thing will always be the best!
Not sure why people unsubscribed – surely we can all take away something from them?
I know that knowing they weren’t from you was unsettling, but they were like a parody. Doggerel not poetry comes to mind. No pithy take away.
I find it impossible to trust AI online – did co-pilot give the correct weight? What is the source? I trust the information if I trust the expect providing it.