Brands Can’t Build Connection With a Voice That Isn’t Human: Humans Crave Humanity in Media
Humans wanting to interact with other humans? SHOCKER! With the prevalence of AI media these days, many creatives are worried about their future. Personally, I am no longer concerned about it though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t for a little bit. I've even had my voice cloned and it was a laughably bad attempt. Even if my voice was cloned successfully, nobody is going to watch a video, hear an ad, or scroll past a post and say, “Wow, AI Voice #42 was incredible!” Or, “That generative AI image really spoke to my soul.”
Even when AI sounds or looks decent, that’s all it ever is, decent. And decent doesn’t connect. People want to feel something real, and they can tell when they’re not. If you’re thinking of using AI for your branded content, take into consideration the current landscape of media and what the people actually will engage with.
From Taylor Swift to a fringe internet theorist with a thousand subscribers, people show up because of the person. They want to feel connected to another human’s perspective, quirks, energy, and emotion. Humans are instinctually wired to register the sound of a real voice amongst noise. We can tell if a face is not really human. All of that is innate to our biology and will not be changing even in the next 10,000 years.
AI can present your point, but it can’t carry your voice, not in the emotional sense. There’s no lived experience behind it. No “why.” No risk. And without those things, the result might sound polished, but it won’t stick. If audiences detect even the slightest use of AI, (which they will) it will immediately make your brand come off cheap and lazily put together.
If you want long-term results, you have to do the work. That means showing up, bringing your humanity into what you create, and letting people connect with you. Cutting corners with generative AI might seem efficient in the moment, but it won’t build connection and connection is what drives everything worth remembering. Hiring an actual artist, or voice actors for your brand content is the only way you will be able to really make the message stick if you want to compete on the vast sea of internet content. We’re in the age of content creators becoming the next celebrities and the internet making connection possible while creating social distance at the same time. People crave real connection now more than ever.
Because audiences don’t fall in love with outputs. They fall in love with people. People they can relate to and understand.
If you need to make that human connection with your audience and need a deep powerful voice to do it, reach out. I specialize in winning the ears of listeners.
