I keep hearing people say: everyone wants 2016 back because they're tired of AI.
No. Stop. That is not it.
People are not tired of AI. They are tired of being attacked by content that looks like it was made by a toaster. Let's call it what it is: people do not hate AI. They hate AI slop. They hate the internet turning into a buffet of ten ways to be confident and here is a mindset shift and you are one decision away — all written in that same dead, corporate, motivational-hostage voice.
You know the voice. It is what you get when LinkedIn and a self-help book have a baby and the baby is raised by a spreadsheet.
The Real Problem
AI did not ruin the internet. Lazy people did. AI just gave lazy people a megaphone and a publishing schedule.
Because what we are watching is not creativity exploding. We are watching mediocrity scale. And it is being shoved in our faces like it is genius. It is not genius. It is just loud. It is the content equivalent of someone walking up to you at 7am and saying: hey, want to hear 47 thought-leadership posts I wrote in eight minutes? No. Go outside.
And here is what kills me: people blame the tool. But the tool is not the problem. A hammer can build a house or it can smash your thumb. Some people are out here smashing their thumb and then writing a thread about resilience.
What Intentional Actually Looks Like
Let me say the part nobody wants to admit: intentionally made content that uses AI is actually fantastic. If it is entertaining, useful, edited, and sounds like a human with a pulse — it is fantastic. The problem is content that was never made. It was printed. No taste. No point of view. No risk. No story. No life. Just beige.
And the audience knows. They might not say your content lacks intention. They just feel it and go: not this again. Because the internet is turning into a landfill of inspirational content written by people who have not been inspired since 2009.
The Actual Rule
People do not want 2016 back because of AI. They want the feeling back — the feeling of when the internet felt like humans talking to humans. Because right now, half the internet feels like it is being run by an intern whose only name is Prompt.
So here is the rule: if you are using AI to amplify your voice, that is the whole point. If you are using AI to replace your voice — congratulations. You are the reason everyone wants to throw their phone into a lake.
People do not hate AI. They hate your unseasoned, copy-paste, same-font, same-energy, algorithm-baiting, personality-free content parade.
And honestly? Fair. AI did not steal your audience. Your lack of intention did.