A Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer is reframing the AI anxiety debate. Matt Abrahams, who teaches strategic communication, argues that human traits—authenticity and influence—are the true competitive advantages in an era of machine-generated content. He dubs this approach “Old School AI,” positioning it as the antidote to the rising tide of generic, AI-produced material.
Abrahams observes that executives and students alike fear AI will render their skills obsolete. His counterargument: as AI floods the market with cheap, homogeneous output, the demand for genuine human connection will only intensify. The “uncanny valley” gap—where AI chatbots still lack true humanness—is precisely where human communicators can differentiate themselves, he contends.
Drawing on decades of teaching at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and coaching executives, Abrahams points to consistent research on persuasion. When AI slop is everywhere, he says, audiences increasingly ask: Are they real? Do they care? Are they trustworthy? These questions, he believes, create a premium for human-led communication that machines cannot replicate.
The argument lands amid a broader backlash against low-quality AI content, from automated news articles to generic marketing copy. Abrahams’ thesis suggests that as AI commoditizes production, the scarce resource becomes not output, but the human touch behind it. The implication for professionals: double down on soft skills rather than trying to compete with machines on speed or volume.
There is, however, a counterargument: this narrative may underestimate how quickly AI itself will close the authenticity gap. Emerging AI systems already demonstrate emotional nuance, personalized tone, and even self-aware humor. If machines can mimic authenticity convincingly, the “human advantage” Abrahams describes could prove temporary rather than structural.