My brain's fried, so here's a little play instead

My brain’s not working great today.

My kid’s having one of those multiple meltdown days that drain you as a parent.

I had 10 things I wanted to get done by now.

Most of them aren’t.

And the email I started working on…I wanted it to be thoughtful.

But I just don’t have the energy for that today.

So instead, I’m sharing something different.

This is a dialogue I had ChatGPT write a while back write based on a prompt I gave it:

I can’t remember where I got that prompt idea. But it’s a fun one you can try for something that’s controversial in your industry/space.

Here’s what it came up with.

Title: “Just Hit Send”

Characters:

Sam – Founder of a small online business, uses AI tools extensively.

Alex – Copywriter and long-time friend, skeptical about AI’s impact on creativity and communication.

[Scene: A quiet corner of a coffee shop. Both are sipping lattes, laptops open, emails on screen.]

Alex:

So, you’re really okay with letting a robot write your emails now?

Sam:

“Letting a robot” is a stretch. It’s a tool. I still guide the message. The AI just helps me write it faster.

Alex:

Faster isn’t always better. Email is personal. It’s connection. If you’re outsourcing that to a machine, what does that say?

Sam:

It says I’m busy. It says I value my time. And honestly, AI helps me say what I mean more clearly. It doesn’t replace me—it amplifies me.

Alex:

Does it though? Or does it just mimic the patterns it’s been trained on? You’re not communicating—you’re optimizing. There's a difference.

Sam:

Optimization is communication in business. Clarity, brevity, impact. If the end result connects with people and gets them to take action, who cares if it had a little help?

Alex:

But what about the craft? The voice? The nuance? I’ve seen AI-generated emails. They’re clean, sure. But they have no soul. No friction. Nothing to make me stop and feel something.

Sam:

That’s a generalization. You can train it. Guide it. Make it sound like you. The tech’s getting better every day. Some of my best-performing emails were AI-assisted. My audience didn’t complain.

Alex:

Maybe they didn’t know. Maybe they’re just used to surface-level communication now. Or maybe they just don’t expect anything real anymore.

Sam:

So what’s the alternative? Burnout from writing every email manually? Being inconsistent? Watching opportunities pass because I’m stuck chasing the perfect sentence?

Alex:

Maybe. Or maybe it’s choosing integrity over scale. Presence over productivity. Maybe there’s value in doing it the hard way, because it means something.

Sam:

Or maybe that’s a romanticized view of work that’s no longer sustainable. I still care. I just don’t think caring means doing it all myself.

[Pause. They sip in silence.]

Alex:

I guess it depends on what kind of relationship you want with your audience.

Sam:

Yeah. And maybe it depends on what kind of relationship you want with yourself.

[They both stare at their screens. One cursor blinking. One email unsent.]

Which one do you agree with more?

Hit reply and let me know.

Nathan

If you’re stuck on your newsletter, lead magnet, or AI setup, book a coaching session at this link and I’ll help you sort it out step by step so you can move forward with confidence and a plan.

Were you forwarded this email? Click here to subscribe.