Published on: April 20, 2026 at 1:24 pm
The past couple of years have seen a rapid increase in artificial intelligence advancement across once human-dominated fields. In particular, the popularity of generative AI, which produces refined, human-like, synthetic content—text, images, audio, video, and code—based on prompts or instructions, has exploded. AI’s influence expands well beyond individual use into the business realm, with countless sectors—from the entertainment industry, marketing, and advertising to professional services, finance, and healthcare—now depending on GenAI as a replacement of human labor rather than a tool to enhance humans’ creative efforts.
Academy of Management Scholar Tim Pollock of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville expressed concerns over AI’s lack of ability to create a thought or idea from nothing—something only the human brain can do, whether it be in terms of advertising and marketing, creative endeavors such as writing and graphic design, or making strategic decisions. AI algorithms learn patterns from massive amounts of data—content and creative works authored by humans—and can parrot them convincingly. AI’s lack of originality may be problematic in many use-cases.
“AI has some specific uses in terms of aggregating information and things like that, which can be helpful, but it’s not a substitute for thinking,” said Pollock. “And it can’t solve problems, because AI is all about what’s happening now and what it can find on the web that’s been done in the past.
“It’s not going to help you solve a new conundrum or find new solutions to persistent problems.”
Additionally, AI makes content generation for advertising, marketing, and other areas more efficient with generated audio, video, or images, quickly produced advertisement copy, and overall optimization of the process. But the reliance on AI for automated marketing can’t mask a business’s inability to connect with consumers on a more human level, or as Pollock said, give it a “human face.” He recommends that people make an effort to articulate their own creative ideas for their business and speak to their target audience of prospects, customers, members, or investors in their own words.
“The brain is a muscle; you’ve got to exercise it,” Pollock said. “You’ve got to work it.
“You’ve got to learn how to do it,” he said. “The more you do it, the better you get at it.
“So, it’s that kind of disciplined practice that makes you a better writer but also makes you a better thinker.”
It’s possible that so much human dependence on AI could diminish business professionals’ abilities to think independently, brainstorm productively, and communicate effectively. GenAI may be an effective tool for automating some manual processes and boosting productivity and efficiency in routine tasks, but it does not replace the human touch in forging a connection with an audience of current and prospective clients, members, or investors.
