Only 9% of Americans think AI does more good than harm, according to one research. According to another research by Gallup however, in China, 83% think it’s great. There, people are renting their faces to AI for soap operas, getting paid $15 to $700 per face. But here’s what matters: 41% of employees now use AI at work – that’s a 31% jump in one year. Yet there’s massive pushback. Even LinkedIn removed the AI repost feature after complaints. By then, 30 to 40% of all LinkedIn content was AI-generated. People were furious.

The Problem With Perceived Effort

Recently, an elderly Canadian parliament member went viral reading his AI prompt by accident instead of his speech. A social experiment on X showed people a real painting, told them it was AI-generated, and 1,300 people immediately said it looked obviously fake and terrible. What is going on? Why so much AI hate?

Here’s possibly why: a 2005 study in the Journal of Consumer Research tested this. Realtors compiled two home lists – one took one hour online, the other took nine hours of manual work. Buyers rated the one-hour list at 50 out of 100 quality. The nine-hour list? 68 out of 100. Same homes. More perceived effort equals more perceived value. That’s why AI hate is happening.

Where the Resentment Actually Lives

The hate isn’t everywhere – it’s specifically targeting anything that touches the client. Your communication. Your messaging. How you speak to them. That’s where resentment lives.

I myself created an AI testimonial video once using a fake person. Prospects saw it was AI and checked out immediately. Didn’t care it was based on real client testimonials. They were done the moment they saw “AI.”

What Really Works With AI

A company called HeyGen created an AI clone for their owner who went on paternity leave. That AI clone closed hundreds of new deals. But it also made unauthorized appointments and decisions. They had to reprogram it. The difference? HeyGen operates in an AI-forward industry where AI is expected. You and I work with corporate buyers. We’re not at that stage. Remember, trust is only at 9% in the US.

How to Actually Use AI

Use AI for everything behind the scenes. Research. Analysis. Data consolidation. For example, even in my personal life I use it for analysis of large amounts of data: I feed my mom’s DEXA scans, blood work, and MRIs into a project file I created in Claude. I have no idea how to read any of these technical reports but AI flags the biggest issues. I take a summary of the danger zones list to her doctor and say, “This summary might be wrong due to AI hallucinations, but here’s what AI found – verify this.” The doctor’s expertise makes the final call. AI is invisible. It’s a tool.

Don’t use AI for anything client-facing. Not communication. Not outreach. Not messaging. There’s no trust for that yet.

The Bottom Line

When you spend time crafting your message – with imperfections, forgotten words, looking at your notes – that’s what’s human. That’s what works. Everyone’s trying to AI-wash their business. You’re going to stand out by showing up as a real human who actually cares about solving their problem.

That’s not outdated. That’s reading the room.

Want to reposition your messaging to grow your leads? Follow me on X, friend me on Facebook,watch my Podcast onYouTube or connect with me on LinkedIn –and let’s talk.