When did 25% efficiency become not enough?
Let's talk about the middle ground that nobody wants to listen to: Human-Led AI
This week’s sponsors are Semrush Enterprise and North Star Inbound.
Anyone who’s been following me on LinkedIn or X has seen my smartass responses to people making some of the dumbest claims imaginable.
“100% automate your SEO.”
“Fully automate your content calendar.”
“Run your business with AI while you sleep.”
At this point, I’m just waiting for AI to start doing my dishes. (please be true)
But jokes aside, there’s something deeper going on here that’s worth talking about.
Thanks to Semrush Enterprise for sponsoring this week’s newsletter
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LLM. Looting, Lying, Manipulating
I was talking with a good buddy, Rob Wormley (a great GTM consultant), about the current state of AI.
Like most conversations right now, it started with a discussion of the cool things we’re both using AI for. And honestly, there’s a lot to like.
It’s fast, it’s useful, and when used correctly, it can absolutely make you better at your job.
But pretty quickly, the conversation shifted. Across very different projects, we kept landing on the same three realities.
If you’re not using AI at all, you’re missing obvious efficiency gains.
If you’re relying entirely on AI, you’re walking straight into quality issues and potential legal headaches.
The only version that consistently works is somewhere in the middle. Human-led AI. Not flashy, not easy to sell, but it holds up.
What’s Wrong With All-in AI?
I’ve never been shy in sharing my opinion that No, I am not putting my head in the same place, ignoring this crazy technology. Open up any social media platform, and you’ll see a dozen Rolex-wearing, Lamborghini-driving, broccoli-haired “bro” telling you that you can automate XYZ with their AI hack. Naturally, all you gotta do is drop “win” in the comments.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. “AI optimization is the biggest scam of 2026.” Not because AI itself is a problem, but because of how it’s being sold. Open any social platform, and you’ll see the same recycled pitch. Some Rolex-wearing, Lamborghini-driving, broccoli-haired bro telling you how to automate your entire business with a single prompt. Just comment “win,” and your problems disappear.
Don’t believe me?
hold your breath and hit play below. (fair warning: cringe alert!)
Ugh. Sorry. If your brain is still operational, please stay with me. If you contributed to the comments to receive their solution to becoming rich overnight. Please unsubscribe.
The Real Problem Isn’t AI
Again, let me reiterate. This is not an anti-AI rant. This is an anti-broken-expectations rant post.
Somewhere along the way, “this made me 25% more efficient” stopped being a win and became a failure.
We’ve completely lost the plot.
Take something like a redirect mapping project. You take a task that used to require three hours of tedious, manual work and cut it down to 30 minutes with AI support. That’s not just a win, that’s a massive gain in productivity. But now? It gets side-eyed because it wasn’t fully automated.
Or content. Writing something thoughtful, original, maybe even a little vulnerable, used to take hours. Now you can use AI to structure, outline, and accelerate the process, getting it down to an hour with better clarity and direction. Still requires skill. Still requires a point of view. Still delivers a better end product.
And somehow… still not good enough.
Then you get the real insanity. Instead of investing in a skilled and or credentialed person to QA, guide, and maximize what AI can do, the instinct is to cut that role entirely and tell a tool like Claude to “just handle it.”
No oversight. No accountability. Just vibes and prompts.
We’ve gone from using tools to improve output… to expecting tools to replace responsibility entirely.
And anything short of that gets labeled as failure.
Why the “Easy Button” Sells
The reality is AI has never been an all-or-nothing decision. It’s a spectrum. But the way it’s being marketed right now? You’d think anything short of full automation means you’re already behind.
That’s where the pressure kicks in. Not from the technology, but from the noise around it. Every scroll comes with another reminder that you’re “doing it wrong,” that you’re “missing out,” that you’re about to become irrelevant if you don’t flip the switch immediately.
“SEO is dead, GEO now! Adapt or get left behind.”
It’s the same playbook every time. Manufacture urgency, create a false binary, and push people to react instead of think.
And the delivery doesn’t help. You watch enough of these reels and it starts to feel less like insight and more like a used car pitch. High energy, big promises, zero substance. “Trust me, this one prompt replaces your entire team.”
It works, though. Not because it’s credible, but because it taps into something real.
People don’t just want to improve their workflow. They want out of the hard parts entirely.
And when someone shows up selling that fantasy with confidence, a lot of people stop asking questions.
Yeah, buddy. Throw in the Lambo for free and consider me all-in. 💰🤑 🙄
The Middle Ground Nobody Wants
Here’s the part nobody wants to hear.
The version of AI that actually works still requires you to think.
It requires you to guide it, challenge it, edit it, and take responsibility for what gets published or implemented. It’s not passive. It’s not hands-off. It doesn’t magically remove the need for experience or judgment. If anything, it puts more pressure on those things.
Human-led AI is where the real gains are. You move faster, you cut down the busywork, you get to better outputs more efficiently. But you’re still in the driver’s seat. You’re still making decisions. You’re still accountable when something goes wrong.
And that’s exactly why it doesn’t sell.
There’s no fantasy in it. No “set it and forget it.” No promise that you can replace thinking with prompting and call it a strategy. It’s just better work, done faster, by someone who knows what they’re doing. This is much harder to fake.
You can’t hide behind automation when the output still depends on your judgment. You can’t outsource responsibility to a tool and pretend it’s a strategy.
So most people skip it. Not because it doesn’t work, but because it still requires effort.
This Isn’t an AI Problem. It’s a Human One.
This isn’t an anti-AI rant. It’s an anti-human rant. More specifically, it’s about the expectation that anything short of full automation somehow isn’t good enough.
If it doesn’t replace your job, run your business, and print money while you sleep, it gets dismissed. Not evaluated. Not tested. Just written off.
That’s the problem.
Because that mindset guarantees misuse. It pushes people to skip the parts that actually matter. Thinking, judgment, accountability. It turns a powerful tool into a shortcut, and then into a crutch.
AI didn’t create this behavior. It exposed it.
And until that expectation shifts, most people won’t get the upside they think they’re chasing.
So What Actually Matters?
AI is a multiplier, not a replacement.
The people winning aren’t avoiding the work. They’re using AI to move faster while still thinking and making decisions.
A 25% gain isn’t failure. It’s an edge, if you actually use it.
Human-led AI… or the scam artists selling you the automated solution to “building the future.” Your call.
Nick
Thanks to North Star Inbound for also sponsoring this week’s newsletter
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