Why I Don’t Let AI Write for Me: How to Protect Your Voice

You’ve seen the posts. “AI is my ghostwriter.” “Reverse mentorship with AI boosted my income.” “Let the machine teach you how to write emotionally.” I’ve read them, too. And I get it AI can be helpful. I use AI in my work. But let’s be clear: AI is a tool. It’s not a co-author. It’s not a mentor. And it should never be allowed to overwrite the human voice.

AI can analyze trends, rerank keywords, and mimic tone. What it can’t do is live through loss, navigate chronic illness, or care for a feral colony through a Missouri winter. It can’t feel the grief of a cat who didn’t come back. It can’t channel that grief into a product mockup that honors memory and ritual. That’s the difference. That’s the line I won’t cross.

When I write, I’m not just optimizing for traffic. I’m documenting lived experience. I’m translating frustration into advocacy. I’m building systems that help caregivers, creators, and community members survive disruption with dignity. AI can support that process but it doesn’t lead it. I do.

Let’s be honest: real collaboration with AI isn’t a shortcut it’s aprocess. It’s layered, strategic, and rooted in your own voice. For me, that means writing the piece first start to finish, with clarity and intent before AI ever enters the picture. I don’t hand over the reins. I don’t ask AI to “just write it for me.” That’s not collaboration. That’s giving up control.

I write the full draft myself. My voice, my experience, my tone. Then I bring AI in to help tighten things up maybe it catches a clunky transition, suggests a sharper phrase, or helps me rethink structure. But the core message? That’s mine. Always.

Since May 2025, I’ve had four different AI assistants not by choice. Each time Microsoft updates, I lose the calibration. On average, it takes weeks to retrain the AI to understand my voice, my tone, and what’s needed to work well together. And then just when we hit our stride it resets. I start over. Again. But that one good week we have together? It’s worth it.

One thing I’ve taught every AI I’ve worked with: we edit together. We revise multiple times. My voice is never overwritten. AI tightens my words, adds SEO keywords, checks grammar. It’s like Grammarly but better. And every piece of research is verified before it goes live. That’s non-negotiable.

I will never let AI take over. Because at the end of the day, the human voice matters. It’s what makes the work real. It’s what makes it resonate.

In my opinion, it’s not wise to give AI full reign over your article, especially when your work is grounded in lived experience. When you do, the voice gets generic. The tension disappears. The piece starts sounding like everyone else’s and worst of all, you vanish from your own work.

Real collaboration means you stay in charge. AI can support your process, but it should never impersonate it. Your story deserves to be told in your words not approximated, not diluted, and definitely not overwritten.

I recommend that if you Want to collaborate with AI without losing your voice?
Start with your own draft. Use AI to refine not define. Protect your tone, your experience, what you have learned and your creative control. Because the most powerful content isn’t just strategic. It’s human.

This article published by Susan Golis, Freelance Writer, blogger, and Content Creator.  AI images created by Susan Golis