Justin Oberman: Rethinking AI Content Creation for Business Leaders

In a recent LinkedIn post, Justin Oberman discusses a common pitfall many professionals encounter when using artificial intelligence for content creation, arguing that the fault lies not with the AI tools themselves, but with how users approach the process. Oberman contends that the prevailing method of having AI merely ‘polish’ or ‘strengthen’ existing human-written content often leads to suboptimal results, which he terms ‘AI slop’.

The Flawed Approach to AI Content

Oberman identifies a fundamental misunderstanding in how AI should be integrated into the writing workflow. Many users, he observes, delegate the initial writing to themselves and then use AI as a supplementary tool for refinement. This, according to Justin Oberman, is where the process goes wrong.

“Everyone thinks the danger is letting AI write for you so they do the writing part and let AI polish or strengthen it. Then you ship it.”

This approach, as highlighted by Justin Oberman, prioritizes human input at the beginning and AI at the end, a sequence he believes is counterproductive. He suggests that this method often results in content that lacks genuine insight or strategic depth, even if grammatically sound and polished.

A New Paradigm: AI as the Writer, Humans as the Editors

To combat the creation of what he calls ‘AI slop’, Justin Oberman proposes a reversed workflow. He advocates for allowing AI to handle the initial drafting phase, freeing up human creators to focus on the more critical aspects of thinking, strategizing, and editing. This inverted process, according to Oberman, ensures that human intelligence is applied where it matters most – in shaping the core ideas and ensuring the final output is strategically sound and effective.

The “Idea First, AI in the Middle, You Last” Framework

Oberman articulates his recommended approach with a clear mantra: “Idea first. AI in the middle. You last.” He elaborates on this by stating:

“Stop strengthening and polishing. Start editing 👇”

This framework suggests that the strategic thinking and conceptualization should precede AI’s involvement. AI then acts as a powerful engine to generate content based on these initial ideas. Finally, the human creator steps in for rigorous editing, ensuring the AI-generated content aligns with the original strategic intent, brand voice, and target audience needs. This ensures that AI serves as a tool for efficiency and scale, rather than a crutch that diminishes the quality of thought leadership.

Introducing “The Copy Hunter Field Guide to Writing In the Age of AI”

To further guide professionals in adopting this more effective AI integration strategy, Justin Oberman has developed a course titled “The Copy Hunter Field Guide to Writing In the Age of AI”. He describes this program as a “super AI free way of doing this by using a system I call hunts.”

Oberman notes the course is being developed iteratively, with early adopters able to purchase it at a reduced presale price. He mentions that:

“100 people have bought in already and claimed the first 4 hunts have had a huge impact.”

This initiative aims to provide a structured system for leveraging AI effectively, emphasizing strategic thinking and thorough editing to produce high-quality content that avoids the pitfalls of generic AI output. The course is designed to help business leaders and content creators harness AI’s power without sacrificing originality or strategic impact.