AI is changing how you communicate.gettyAI can be tremendously helpful to our efficiency, but new data shows it may also be robbing us of our authentic voice and changing (and degrading) the way we communicate and connect with each other.In an era where people attribute so much to AI and in which disconnection and loneliness are at record highs, retaining your voice, your personality and your identity will set you apart and will also help build relationships and protect authentic connections.Losing OurselvesMany people are using AI to communicate including about 22% of individual contributors and 52% of senior leaders, according to data from MNI Calculator.The data is sobering. Fully 24% of people say their writing sounds more generic and 30% say they feel like they’re writing in AI style, even if they aren’t using AI support tools, according to MN Calculator data.Their colleagues agree. Fully 45% of people who say they can tell when a message is AI-generated, and they have negative perceptions of co-workers who use it. 44% of Gen Z says that when their colleagues use AI to communicate, it’s because they didn’t care enough to write a communique themselves. 22% of Gen X agrees. 27% trust an AI-generated message less than human-written25% can’t tell what their colleague really thinks19% respect the person a little lessAll this is according to MNI Calculator.Even with lack of authenticity, people’s writing may have improved, with 40% who say they’ve reduced typos or problems in their writing. But 51% of people would prefer a real message that is imperfect instead of a flawlessly written AI message. Gen Z feels especially strongly, with 61% who say they prefer real over perfect, according to MNI Calculator data.The sobering bottom line: 57% have felt a coworker’s real personality disappear from their messages, according to MNI Calculator. Wow.Maintaining Your Own VoiceSo how can you maintain your authenticity and your own voice, and avoid the effects of AI gravity weighing down skills? 1. Protect Your PassionsOne of the first strategies is to use AI more for tasks that aren’t core to who you are or what you do best, and to avoid using AI for your areas of strength or passion. Research shows that AI changes the ways we think, work and connect. In fact, the more you use AI, the more likely your thinking is to deteriorate, so be selective and intentional.If you’re a brilliant writer, don’t offload to AI because you’ll reduce your own skills and thinking process. On the other hand, if you struggle to string a sentence together, AI can be a fine partner. And if you love analysis, use AI more sparingly while you retain the work you love to do. But if you detest all-things detail, leverage AI to the fullest.AI can do almost anything, but as humans we crave to connect, create and demonstrate curiosity. Treat these as primary areas you’ll protect for yourself.2. Protect Your AuthorshipIf you’re using AI to write, you can be selective about the AI coaching you receive. Perhaps you want to brainstorm an approach for a report or maybe you want to use AI to give you feedback on grammar or suggest where your flow could be better. Ensure that you always proofread and adjust, so the deliverables you share with others are still your own.Avoid cognitive surrender in which you just give your work over to AI. If you do, research shows you’ll feel less committed to it and even remember it less. 3. Protect Your ResearchAI can be helpful in unearthing material that you need as raw material and you may want to use AI to summarize a long report or interpret research that is confusing or unclear. But always check and double check original sources, conclusions and content, because AI can hallucinate data or results. 4. Protect Your RelationshipsAlso be sure to stay connected to colleagues. Data from FlexJobs finds that only 20% of people feel connected to their colleagues and 50% have experienced miscommunication with their manager. And research from MyIQ found that AI is replacing workplace relationships. We’re talking less to each other, engaging less with co-workers and interacting less in our teams, when we use AI. This is concerning since we need factual information to be effective, but we also need social information. We need to know who we can rely on, who has expertise and who can offer support on our team so we feel connected to a community and coworkers.In the face of these challenges, ask team members for input, seek their expertise or strike up a conversation. Use AI as one point of input, but be sure you don’t replace people or lose the relationships that are naturally built in the process of accomplishing your work. 5. Just Say NoSo many of our platforms are pushing us to AI with pop ups, prompts and reminders. But just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. Better to be selective about how you use AI based on your own preferences, rather than AI that is foisted or forced.Interestingly, there is a librarian in Maine who started offering a course in “Avoiding AI” including how to disable AI platform interference. It has gone viral with overwhelming numbers of people who want to learn ways to turn off AI.Close the pop up and avoid ceding your work to a bot. Use AI With CautionWe’re wise to lean in, learn and embrace AI, but we also need to be careful that we don’t lose wellbeing, ourselves or our voices. Hard work, challenging work and meaningful work are part of a full life and they actually contribute to the sense that we matter and that we have value to add. Avoid handing off tasks or diminishing this opportunity for meaning.