Instant answers
In this special episode of The Marketing Companion podcast, I reveal some one of the most important ideas from my new book, “How AI Changes Your Customers: The Marketing Guide to Humanity’s Next Act.”
And I include a free gift!
This episode contains Chapter 1 of the audio edition of the book: Deep Thinking in the Age of Instant Answers.
You can listen to this special show here:
Click here to enjoy The Marketing Companion Episode 324
This chapter covers several essential issues as we begin to understand how AI is rewiring humans … and our customers:
Why Deep Work Still Wins — Having written a dozen books, I know that the process of living deeply with new knowledge changes you at the cellular level—a process philosophers call phronesis. This slow burn of study and practice brings not just information, but practical wisdom and embodied confidence.
However, most people won’t put in the hard work. They opt for the instant answers. Human nature favors shortcuts. Thinking will be optional.
Experts warn that as AI systems take over increasingly complex decision-making tasks, our capacity for critical thinking may atrophy.
The Science of Cognitive Offloading — The research is clear and troubling: When we let AI take over, we’re not just surrendering the “heavy lifting”– we’re letting atrophy set in. It’s the digital equivalent of offloading muscle work to a machine, only now it’s happening to our ability to reason, synthesize, and create.
A Crisis of Curiosity — Perhaps the most insidious aspect of AI is its confidence. AI doesn’t just provide answers — it provides confident, polished, definitive answers. Advanced AI decision-making could significantly undermine people’s sense of agency and curiosity. If customers default to the shortcut, how do we—as marketers—connect with them in a world where thinking is optional?
While most people may opt for cognitive shortcuts, the curious few — the ones who use AI as a tool for deep exploration — will have a tremendous advantage. Used correctly, AI can feed curiosity, open up new knowledge channels, and expand creative thinking.
Your New Best Customer: The Algorithm — Here’s where it gets interesting for marketers: When AI becomes the customer’s brain, AI becomes your customer. The minute your content gets summarized, rated, or recommended by a machine, the algorithm is your real audience.
Our goal now is to train AI to act as a sales representative for our brands. That means feeding it clear, consistent, unmistakable messaging, both on your site and across the web, and not blocking AI from your content.
Feelings Are the Last Competitive Advantage — Finally, I discuss the ultimate AI override: what people feel about your brand. Even if AI provides the shortlist, what gets a customer over the line is often gut instinct, emotion, and connection.
That’s why brands able to spark resonance — through story, humor, surprise, or vulnerability — will win in a world of algorithmic sameness. This emotional layer becomes the rarest and most powerful differentiator.
I hope you enjoy this episode and the book, which is now available on Amazon >”How AI Changes Your Customers: The Marketing Guide to Humanity’s Next Act.”
Please support our sponsors, who make this fantastic episode possible.
Bravo for Brevo!
This episode is brought to you by Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). Brevo gives you the tools to attract, engage, and nurture customer relationships.
Now, any business can build automated customer experiences, email marketing workflows, and landing pages that guide your customers to your main message. We are here to support businesses successfully navigating their digital presence to strengthen their customer relationships.
Go to https://www.brevo.com/marketingcompanion to sign up for Brevo for free and use the code COMPANION to save 50% on your first three months of Brevo’s Starter & Business plan!
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Illustration courtesy MidJourney
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