When we think about AI, our minds often gravitate toward complex algorithms, vast datasets, and groundbreaking innovations.
But at the heart of every AI tool lies something far simpler and more profound: words.
Every AI system begins with words—written code, annotated data, and carefully crafted prompts. These words guide AI’s learning, define its scope, and influence its ability to understand and create.
Language provides the foundation for how AI perceives the world and how it engages with ours.
When it comes to words, there is something we forget—something AI, by its design, does neutrally.
It remembers that words carry meaning. When used with clarity and intention, they become powerful and create impact.
Language as the Core of AI
AI tools, especially those powered by large language models (LLMs), rely on the patterns and relationships between words to function.
These tools don’t understand language the way humans do; instead, they process vast amounts of text data, identifying patterns and predicting word sequences. This process turns raw language into something remarkable: a system that can mimic conversation, craft narratives, or provide intelligent insights.
But this reliance on words is not limited to language models. Whether it’s a visual AI identifying objects in an image or a recommendation algorithm suggesting your next favourite film, words are always present in the form of metadata, labels, and tags. Words define categories, outline processes, and give structure to the digital world AI navigates.
The Power of Our Input
Words are not only the foundation of how AI works but also how we communicate with it. The prompts we design, the questions we ask, and the feedback we give all shape AI’s outputs. This creates a unique partnership: while we build AI through words, AI, in turn, learns and evolves based on the words we provide. The better we articulate our needs, the better AI can respond.
Human and Words: A Love-Hate Relationship
We, as humans, have forgotten the power of words.
In our professional lives, words often feel more like a burden than a tool. We complain about emails, dismissing them as useless or an endless to-do list.
Meetings are frequently criticised, with most organisations actively seeking ways to reduce them because they’re seen as unproductive.
One-on-one conversations—once the cornerstone of meaningful collaboration—are neglected, often pushed aside in favour of busier schedules.
Somewhere along the way, we lost sight of the immense value words can bring. We forgot how to wield them with intention and clarity to create meaningful outcomes.
Learning from AI: Words as a Model for Change
AI should serve as our model and our inspiration. It reminds us that words hold incredible power and, when used intentionally, can spark transformation.
When we approach words with clarity and purpose, there’s little we can’t achieve. On the other hand, neglecting to see their potential leads to words losing their meaning, becoming noise instead of tools for progress.
AI operates with a clear purpose, designed to perform tasks with precision. Every word in an AI’s design serves a role, contributing to its ability to achieve specific goals. This clarity and intentionality make AI a master of using words effectively—a skill we can and should learn to apply in our own lives.
Words are more than a medium of communication; they are a force for creation, innovation, and connection. It’s time we remember their power and reclaim them as the tools for change they were always meant to be.
Example: Getting a Customer to a Sales Meeting
Let’s compare how AI and humans might use words differently to achieve the same goal: getting a customer to agree to a sales meeting.
AI’s Use of Words
An AI, designed for the task, might send this message:
“Hi [Customer Name], based on your recent interest in [Product/Service], I’d like to invite you to a 15-minute meeting to discuss how we can help you achieve [specific goal, e.g., “streamlining your workflow”]. Please choose a time that works for you using this link: [calendar link]. Looking forward to connecting!”
- Clarity: AI uses clear and direct language to outline the purpose of the meeting.
- Actionable: It includes a simple next step (the calendar link) for the customer to respond easily.
- Personalisations: AI pulls in relevant data (e.g., the customer’s interest) to make the message feel tailored.
- Goal-Oriented: Every word in the message serves the purpose of scheduling the meeting efficiently.
Human’s Use of Words
A human salesperson might write:
“Hi [Customer Name], I wanted to follow up and see if you’d be open to a quick meeting to talk about how [Product/Service] could help your business. Let me know if that’s something you’d like to explore further, and we can figure out a time.”
- Tone: The tone is friendly and conversational but lacks the precision of the AI’s message.
- Ambiguity: Phrases like “open to a quick meeting” or “let me know if that’s something you’d like to explore” make it less actionable.
- Effort: The burden is on the customer to suggest a time, which can lead to delays or a lack of response.
- Emotion: Humans may unintentionally include uncertainty or hesitation in their wording, which could weaken the call to action.
Key Differences
- Clarity vs. Ambiguity: AI’s message is direct and leaves no room for interpretation, while the human approach might be less structured and more open-ended.
- Efficiency vs. Effort: AI reduces friction by offering a clear next step (e.g., a calendar link), while humans often rely on back-and-forth communication to settle on details.
- Personalisation vs. Assumption: AI uses data-driven insights to personalise its message, while a human might rely on intuition, which could miss key customer-specific details.
The Takeaway
This isn’t to say that a person couldn’t craft the same email AI would. The point is to highlight how AI approaches words with precision and focus, ensuring every sentence serves a purpose and aligns with achieving the goal.
Humans, on the other hand, while naturally more emotionally adaptive, may fall into less efficient patterns of communication. Personal habits, assumptions, or uncertainties can sometimes dilute the clarity of their message, even when their intent is strong.
By observing how AI uses words intentionally and purposefully, we can learn to refine our own communication. The goal isn’t to mimic AI but to take its focus as inspiration. This way, we can communicate with greater clarity and intent while preserving the natural warmth, adaptability, and relational strength that make human communication unique.
My Thoughts:
We humans are drowning in words that lack meaning, losing the magic they hold. We’ve forgotten that meaningful change comes from our ability to communicate with clarity and purpose.
What I want us to focus on is this: when it comes to our relationship with AI, we do listen. We do understand the power of words, even if we don’t call it that. And here’s the key—AI has no other tools to get us to act besides words. for everything it does from Content creation, email follow-ups, customer support—whatever the task, it all comes down to language.
So, why do we listen to AI and recognize the magic of its words? Because AI is designed for a specific purpose, and that purpose keeps it focused.
This is the reminder we need about our own work. Clarity isn’t about knowing what our job is—that’s straightforward. It’s about understanding the unique value we bring to it. It’s about what makes us good at what we do.
AI, in its reflective nature, has blurred these lines for us. It’s made it harder for us to remember the distinct value we bring to the table, leaving many of us feeling lost in a professional world where we’re more concerned with projecting an image than embracing our true strengths.
And the irony? AI, which should simplify, sometimes amplifies this confusion. It makes us second-guess the words we choose and weakens the conviction behind them. This isn’t a problem AI can solve for us—it’s one we need to tackle ourselves, by reclaiming our clarity, our purpose, and the power of the words we use.
AI is a Thinking Revolution, and shifting to a new perspective is what it’s all about. This new way of looking at the power of words shows that communication, with or without AI, is powerful when we are clear about the value we bring. Want a new perspective tailored to your AI challenge?
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