AI, Authenticity, and Your Reputation

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, mainly because I’m using AI more and more to help me communicate online.

And I’ve noticed something interesting.

A lot of people aren’t really arguing about AI at all.

They’re reacting to how it feels when a post looks polished, confident, and “expert”… but somehow doesn’t ring true.

So here’s the question I keep coming back to:

Does your use of AI enhance your reputation… or does it quietly position you as someone you’re not?

That’s not a moral question. It’s a practical one.

Because like it or not, your online presence is part of your reputation now. And in business, reputation still wins.

The uncomfortable truth: most people aren’t bothered by tools

They’re bothered by masks.

We’ve always used tools to help us communicate better:

• spellcheck
• templates
• editors
• camera equipment
• presentation decks
• ghostwriters (yes, they’ve been around forever)

The issue isn’t “help”.

The issue is misrepresentation.

When AI helps you express what you genuinely believe, what you’ve lived, what you’ve learned and what you’d say in a real conversation, it can be brilliant.

When it helps you sound like an expert you haven’t become yet… it stops being help and starts being camouflage.

And camouflage is fragile. It always leaks eventually.

Five analogies that help draw the line

These have helped me clarify my own thinking.

1) Grammarly isn’t cheating

Grammarly is a spellchecker with manners

If AI helps you tidy your writing, tighten your message, and stop your point getting lost in waffle… that’s not cheating.

That’s respect for the reader.

2) Lighting doesn’t invent a face

A good photographer uses lighting to reveal what’s already there.

Lighting doesn’t create cheekbones. It helps you see them.

AI used well is like lighting for your ideas: it adds clarity, focus, structure, emphasis.

It doesn’t invent the truth. It helps the truth land.

3) A sat-nav doesn’t drive the car

It can suggest the route, but you still steer, brake, and choose the destination.

AI can suggest phrasing and structure. But you still decide what you mean, what you stand behind, and what you’re willing to discuss with real humans.

4) An editor doesn’t become the author

A good editor sharpens your argument and protects your reader’s attention.

But you remain responsible for the ideas.

That’s the sweet spot for AI: a fast editor, a second brain for structure, a clarity machine.

Not a substitute for lived experience.

5) Power tools don’t make you a carpenter

A nail gun doesn’t give you judgement, taste, or skill.

It speeds up output, sure… but it doesn’t make the work good.

AI can increase your output, but only you can provide the judgement, nuance, and honesty that makes it worth reading.

Where authenticity actually lives

Not in the typing.

Authenticity lives in three places:

1) Intent

Why are you posting?

To be helpful? To start a conversation? To share what you’ve learned?

Or to impress?

People can feel the difference, even if they can’t always explain it.

2) Specificity

Generic advice is cheap now. Everyone can produce it.

The trust signals are specific:

• a real story
• a real mistake
• a real observation from your industry
• a line that only you could have written

If your post could have come from anybody, it often lands as “nobody”.

3) Consistency

This is the big one, especially in networking.

Does your online presence match how you show up on a call, in a room, or in follow-up?

Because AI can help you write a post…

…but it can’t help you keep your word.

And in business networking, follow-through is the truth serum.

The line I’ve drawn for myself

Here’s my personal rule:

If AI changes my clarity, fine.
If it changes my character, I’m in trouble.

Or put another way (slightly cheekier):

AI is a polishing cloth, not a personality transplant.

If I wouldn’t say it out loud to someone I respect, across a table, I won’t post it online.

That simple check has saved me from posting things that “sound good” but aren’t actually me.

A useful self-check before you hit “Post”

If you want a quick test, try this:

The Pub Test

Could I say this naturally to someone in a real conversation?
If yes, you’re likely authentic.
If no, you might be borrowing a voice.

The Receipt Test

Is there at least one line that proves this came from lived experience?
A story, a lesson, a pattern you’ve seen, a scar you earned.

If you can’t find one, the post may be more “content” than communication.

The real risk isn’t AI. It’s “borrowed authority.”

Here’s where I do think it becomes cheating:

When AI is used to project:

• expertise you don’t have
• certainty you haven’t earned
• results you haven’t achieved
• confidence that vanishes the moment someone asks a follow-up question

That’s not marketing. That’s costume jewellery.

Looks good at first glance. Falls apart under pressure.

And once trust is dented, it takes a long time to repair.

A healthier way to think about AI

Instead of asking, “Is this cheating?”, I’d ask:

Is this helping me serve people better and communicate more clearly… while staying true to who I am?

If yes, use it.

If not, you’re not building a brand. You’re building a performance.

And performances are exhausting to maintain.

Let’s make this a conversation (without the finger-pointing)

I’m genuinely curious where other people land on this.

Because I don’t think the answer is “never use AI”.

I think the answer is: use it in a way that protects your reputation, not just your output.

So here are a few questions I’d love your view on:

• What’s your personal line between “AI as a tool” and “AI as a mask”?
• Would you rather read a slightly messy human post… or a polished post that feels empty?
• Should people disclose AI use, or is that like disclosing spellcheck?
• What do you think will become the new trust signal on LinkedIn as AI content increases?

If you comment, I’ll reply properly (not with an emoji drive-by). The whole point of networking is conversation… not broadcasting.

And if you’re using AI already, maybe the simplest question is:

Is it helping you become more you… or helping you hide?