5 hard truths about AI after 2 years of daily use
Typing simple prompts into ChatGPT for everyday tasks is "amateur hour" in 2025.
I've been working with AI for marketing for over 2 years now, and I've noticed something concerning: most people are still using AI in ways that barely scratch the surface of its potential.
When I first started with AI, I made lots of mistakes. But through this trial and error, I've developed some approaches that truly leverage AI's power while helping me maintain authenticity.
What most people get wrong
Typing simple prompts into ChatGPT for everyday tasks might save you a few minutes, but that's amateur hour in 2025.
If that's all you're doing, you're missing out on the real advantages AI can offer.
After experimenting extensively with AI for actual marketing use cases, I've identified five key lessons that can transform how you use these tools.
Lesson 1: only use AI for tasks you've already mastered manually
This was a big mistake I made early on. I tried using AI for content types I hadn't personally mastered, like short-form videos. The problem was that I couldn't judge if the output was any good.
For example, I've been doing SEO for 15 years. If ChatGPT gives me keyword suggestions, I can immediately tell which ones make sense and which don't. But if you've never done keyword research before, you might accept really bad AI suggestions without even realizing it.
Whatever looks impressive isn't always good.
Master something manually first, then use AI to scale it.
Lesson 2: never use AI where human connection matters
We've all seen those obviously AI-generated LinkedIn comments, right?
In today's AI-saturated world (see what I did here?), building trust is more important than ever.
Keep your direct communications - LinkedIn comments, DMs, personal emails - 100% human. This is where your authentic voice matters most.
Lesson 3: pick one main content channel and go all-in
For me, YouTube is my primary channel. I put my creative energy into making the best possible videos.
From there, I use AI to help repurpose that content into other formats - shorts, LinkedIn posts, carousel posts, etc.
This approach lets me maintain quality while still having a presence across multiple platforms.
Lesson 4: scale your publishing schedule with automations
This is where AI truly shines.
My system includes AI modules for research, content writing, and data scraping.
This automation lets me focus on creating great pillar content while AI handles the distribution.
If you want to see how I've set this up, you can join AI Marketing Masters where I share all my automation blueprints and templates (including the updated version of this full content system).
Lesson 5: don't believe the AI hype
I used to jump on every new AI tool that promised amazing results, but most didn't deliver any practical value for my daily work.
For example, AI agents are trending right now, but their practical content creation applications are pretty limited.
You can build cool chatbots, but that's not necessarily helping your content strategy.
Start with what you're already doing well, set bigger content goals, and then find AI tools that actually help you reach those goals.
Bonus tip: use a content humanizing prompt
If all this seems overwhelming, here's a simple tip that will instantly upgrade your AI game: develop a content humanizing prompt that you use every time.
My humanizing prompt (which you can get at AI Marketing Masters) includes:
Using a Flesch score of 70-80 (6th grade reading level)
Writing in active voice
Using first-person language when appropriate
Varying sentence lengths
Adding human imperfections
Banning overused AI phrases like "in today's digital landscape"
Adding proper formatting with bullets, lists, and bold text
This simple addition to your workflow will dramatically improve your AI-generated content (even if you are just using the simple ChatGPT interface for daily tasks).
And if you want all my resources - the content system blueprint, Airtable templates, and all my custom prompts - join me at AI Marketing Masters.
I'd love to know which of these lessons resonated most with you.
Until next time,
Annika