Gen AI for Leaders: How Should You Use It?
The rise of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is transforming nearly every aspect of business—including how leaders communicate. From drafting LinkedIn updates to composing all-hands emails, AI writing tools promise to make messaging faster and easier than ever before. But as with any powerful technology, there’s a catch: the more prominent you are as a leader, the greater the risk that AI-generated messages will be spotted, scrutinized, and potentially misunderstood.
There are benefits and risks of using AI for leadership messaging. The best leaders will use AI as a support tool rather than a substitute, retaining their authentic voice and values as the key aspect of how they project themselves and their brand into the world..
The Promise of AI for Leaders’ Messaging
AI’s appeal for busy leaders is obvious: Using AI to instantly spin up drafts, outlines, or even polished paragraphs frees up precious hours for strategic thinking, decision-making, and relationship-building—the core responsibilities of leadership.
For leaders who find written communication challenging, AI can do more, helping them articulate complex ideas, suggest more effective phrasing, and ensure clarity. This is especially valuable for non-native English speakers or those who simply feel less comfortable with the written word – often young founders, or founding teams from engineering or other non-creative. backgrounds. AI can democratize communication, giving more leaders a “leg up” and helping them express themselves more effectively.
Another advantage is efficiency in creating message structures and drafts. AI can quickly organize points, summarize lengthy reports, or adapt a message for different audiences. This means leaders can iterate faster, respond more promptly to emerging issues & trends, and maintain a steady flow of communication with their teams and stakeholders.
AI can be a powerful ally for leaders who want to communicate more frequently and confidently, but struggle with time or writing skills.
The Risks & Challenges of Relying on AI
But these benefits come with significant risks—especially for leaders whose words carry weight both inside and outside the organization.
The Risk of Detection:
AI-generated content is increasingly easy to spot. Employees and stakeholders are becoming savvy to the recurring patterns, generic phrases, and formulaic structures that AI tools often produce. (Yes, there are em-dashes in this post – I’ll never stop using them). If your team suspects that your heartfelt update or strategic vision was written by a machine, it can quickly erode trust. And even if you edit it pretty aggressively, if you’re not a natural comms person, you might not be able to spot what makes that polished prose read mechanically.
Perception Risks:
For leaders — particularly those who in a prominent or even iconic postion — the optics of using AI matter. Authenticity is at a premium in an increasingly generic world. If people believe you’re relying on AI to communicate, they may see you as uncaring, lazy, or unwilling to invest the time to connect personally. This perception can be especially damaging in moments that require empathy or vulnerability, such as addressing layoffs, celebrating milestones, or responding to crises. The C-suite can struggle to communicate in a human way at the best of times. At the worst of times is when it matters most.
Misalignment with Corporate Values:
AI-generated messages can lack the nuance, empathy, and cultural awareness that define a company’s values. While AI can mimic tone pretty effectively it often misses the subtle cues that make communication feel actually human. If you’ve ever tried to get AI to write like your favourite author, you know what I mean - it often delivers a dilute pastiche of their style. Over-reliance on AI risks producing messages that are technically correct but emotionally hollow—messages that don’t reflect the spirit or values of the organization.
Generic or Impersonal Communication:
AI tools are trained on vast datasets and tend to default to safe, generic language. This can result in communications that feel bland, repetitive, or disconnected from the unique context of your team or company. Over time, this erodes the sense of connection and belonging that authentic leadership fosters. A little personal or creative flourish goes a long way. It’s the written equivalent of the sparkle in your eye. Can’t really fake that.
Factual Inaccuracies and Tone Inconsistencies:
AI is not infallible. It can introduce factual errors, misinterpret context, or generate content that’s out of sync with your intended tone. No matter how well you prompt, how effectively you structure context, AI can still introduce error & risk. For leaders, even small mistakes can have outsized consequences—damaging credibility, sowing confusion, or triggering unintended reactions.
The more visible you are, the more important it is to ensure your communications are unmistakably yours.
Authenticity & Values Matter Most
Because we’re now awash with digital noise and automated content, authenticity is a leader’s most valuable currency. Employees and stakeholders crave genuine connection—messages that reflect not just what you think, but who you are and what you stand for.
Authentic communication builds trust, morale, and engagement. It signals that you care enough to show up personally, to share your perspective, and to listen. If your tone is in sync with your team’s lived experience, it shows you’ve heard them and understood them, and that shows up in the stories you tell, the empathy you show, and the values you embody. These are the qualities that AI, for all its sophistication, will always struggle to replicate. AI will not make you a leader of people. And if you’re a genuine leader of people, you can’t outsource that to AI, or replicate it using AI.
If your team discovers that a supposedly personal message was written by a machine, it can feel like a betrayal. The reputational damage can be lasting, especially if it suggests a disconnect between your words and your values.
That’s why the best leaders use AI as a tool rather than a crutch. They recognize that technology can make them more efficient, but never more authentic.
Use AI as a Support Tool, Not a Replacement
Using AI as a support tool to enhance, but never replace, your authentic voice, is the best way to think of it from a leadership comms perspective.
Drafts and Outlines: This is probably my favourite use – as a means to generate first drafts or outlines, especially when you’re stuck or short on time. Let it help you organize your thoughts. I start by giving it a goal for the piece of writing, the likely audience(s), and then ask it to come back with a structure first, so that before I ask it for a full draft, I know it’s going the right direction. The act of prompting is a great beginning and the most human part of it all - asking yourself ‘What is it that I want to say, and how do I want that to be heard?’
Personalize and Edit: Unless you’re using a system like NOAN which has all of your context baked in & structured, you should never let AI-generated content go out unedited. You have to bring your own voice to it. Infuse it with your own stories, insights, and phraseology. Make sure the message sounds like you—not a machine.
Transparency: For routine or administrative communications, it may be appropriate to be open about using AI. For anything personal, strategic, or sensitive, your own voice should shine through. If you’re using AI, especially if you’re trying to drive your team to do that for the sake of efficiency, detail how and where.
Emotional Resonance: Invest time in crafting messages that connect emotionally. Ask yourself: Does this message reflect my values? Will it resonate with my audience? Read the message out loud. Does it feel natural?
Feedback Loops: Encourage your team to share feedback on your communications. Are your messages clear, authentic, and aligned with company culture? Also, ask AI for feedback on anything you’ve written. Ask it if it’s likely to resonate with different demos, or if it can see any hidden risk in what you’ve written or how you’ve written it. Upload previous messages to compare/contrast or identify inconsistencies or contradictions that might trip you up.
By treating AI as a helpful assistant—not a replacement—you can save time and reduce stress, while ensuring your communications remain true to who you are as a leader.
How To Stay Authentic While Leveraging AI
Add Personal Touches: Begin or end messages with a personal anecdote or reflection. Reference recent team achievements or challenges that only you would know.
Use AI for Structure, Not Substance: Let AI help you brainstorm or outline, but always write the key points in your own words.
Avoid Generic Language, edit harshly: Watch for clichés or buzzwords common in AI writing. Replace them with language that reflects your personality and company culture. AI tends to be verbose & repetitive. Edit out the unnecessary.
Fact-Check Everything: Never assume AI is accurate. Verify facts, dates, and names before sending.
Prioritize Quality Over Speed: Better to send fewer, more meaningful messages than to flood your team with generic updates. AI Slop is not a strategy.
Strike the Right Balance
AI can be a massively powerful tool for you as a leader, especially if you find communication challenging. But it’s not a substitute for authenticity, empathy, or values-driven leadership. The best leaders use AI to enhance their efficiency, not to outsource their voice. They recognize that in a world deluged with bot content and AI slop, what actually matters is human connection—the willingness to show up, speak honestly, and lead by example.
So, as you consider integrating AI into your communication toolkit, remember: your voice is irreplaceable. Use AI to help you say what you mean, but never let it say it for you. In the end, it’s your own values that will inspire, unite, and lead your team forward.
