We’re currently in a place I like to call “The Great Blur”. Open any social media feed in 2026 and you’ll find an endless flow of videos that are picture perfect and lightning fast, but somehow leave you feeling absolutely nothing. We’re constantly bombarded with content that is “generated” rather than made.
Look, I’m not a Luddite, I’ll admit that I use AI to handle the digital grunt work – AI transcription and initial caption generation save me hours of mindless typing (not to mention the dollars it saves my clients). But that’s where my reliance stops. In a world obsessed with quantity over quality, I’m doubling down on the human hand. I’m choosing intentionality over algorithms, and I’m convinced that’s the only way to stay relevant.
THE SEA OF SAMENESS
When AI first crept into the world of caption styling, it was different, it was unique – that is until every single person started using it. The word-by-word highlights from CapCut or Descript quickly became the norm, along with those neon-yellow captions that everyone had for a while. These captions are still widely used today, but I find they often go so fast I can’t even read what is on the screen – they’re really not my style.
So what do I have to offer instead? Captions styled by a human, for other humans. As I mentioned previously, I do use the transcription service built into my editing software to create the captions, but that’s where the use of AI for my captions end. I go through the painstaking process of animating and highlighting important words and phrases for every single video. I like to add dynamics to captions to help grab viewer attention and highlight key points, but not every word is animated, and it’s not going across your screen faster than you can read it (unless the person is speaking really quickly, in those cases I do my best!). Could I purchase a Descript or CapCut subscription and give my clients the same captions as everyone else? Yes. But that won’t help them stand out. The captions I create are an extension of the brand, not a software default.
ALGORITHMS DON’T FEEL THE FEELS
There are several programs out there that can cut your podcast/interview videos and change camera angles for you – I’ve tried them myself. The AI in these programs can identify a pause, but it doesn’t know why a pause matters. It will go through and cut out pauses and filler words, but what you’ll end up with is an emotionless video with abrupt cuts. Those videos don’t tell a story and they don’t connect with the viewer. They certainly don’t stand out in a good way.
When editing an interview, I may choose to switch to another camera to capture a guests reaction while the host is speaking, or I may keep the camera on a guest an extra second longer to avoid the video feeling jumpy. These human touches are vital for connection with the content – remember, AI doesn’t have feelings (yet). You can’t automate empathy.
THE “FAST” TAX
In 2026, fast is a race to the bottom. Everyone wants to push out as much content as they possibly can, regardless if it looks like it was generated rather than crafted.
People want realness. People want to feel something when they watch a video. Pumping out 5 TikToks a day with AI generated content is not going to connect with your audience. It’s not going to scream “real” for your brand. It may perform okay once in a while, but you’re not going to get the engagement and community following that so many businesses, brands, and creators aim for. People will pass over your content eventually. Fast editing is a cost; intentional editing is an asset.
CHOOSING THE HEARTBEAT
Think about your favorite video creators – I bet they’re all real people, creating quality content that you enjoy watching. They’re not pumping out garbage 12 times a day. They’re intentionally being human and sharing that with their audience. Good creators don’t need AI videos with super fast and dynamic captions or a bunch of pop ups. They just need a good story and tasteful video editing. AI is a tool for the hands, not a replacement for the head.