By Karine Mast, Strategic Planner at o3

AI has already delivered on part of its promise: freeing us from low-value, repetitive tasks. Follow-up emails, summaries and other routine activities are now handled with ease. But a new category of tools has emerged: AI text humanizers. Their purpose? To take AI-generated content and rework it until it reads smoothly and naturally, as though it had been written by a human.

AI generates the content, then AI removes the traces of its own involvement. This is worth examining: what do we gain, and what do we risk losing, in the process?

A practice that is already well established

These tools have gained considerable traction, particularly among students, and it is easy to see why. Testimonials accompanying subscription offers make no secret of their appeal: users praise simple software that helps them humanize their content and written assignments. Some platforms even offer dedicated essay-writing features.

The need is genuine: saving time, improving readability and avoiding text that sounds machine-generated. But this promise raises a broader question, one that directly concerns those of us working in communications.

What makes a text human?

Before going any further, let's ask a simple question: what makes a text human, or at least human-like?

As a strategic planner, I like to question the meaning behind things. I often refer to semiotician Elodie Mielczareck, who describes human language as a system of signs created by people to convey meaning and communicate. It is conventional: there is nothing about the word "tree" that resembles an actual tree; it is human beings who assign meaning to it. Language is creative, capable of expressing an infinite number of new ideas. It operates through words, but also through body language and voice. And it has the power to shape reality: saying "I promise" is already an act in itself.

In essence, language reveals something fundamental about us: we create meaning, we exist in relation to others, and we reveal who we are, sometimes unintentionally, through the way we speak.

AI humanizers offer something different: text that appears human. It has the outward characteristics of human expression, without necessarily possessing its substance. And it remains unclear what these tools have actually learned to reproduce this effect. A certain irregularity in sentence rhythm? A few more spontaneous turns of phrase? Human writing weaves meaning together. Humanized text, all too often, merely creates the impression of it.

Making sense versus making us feel

Before criticizing these tools, we should acknowledge one thing: they do not necessarily produce poor content. AI-humanized text is often perfectly coherent. It is fluent, logical, structured and easy to understand at first reading. It is exactly the kind of content any skilled communications professional might produce by following established best practices: simple words, short sentences, clear messages and no rough edges.

Yet it lacks an essential dimension: emotional resonance. That quality which moves us. Which leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Coherent writing conveys an idea; emotionally resonant writing creates a feeling that stays with us.

This is where the distinction lies: AI humanizers can master form, but struggle to capture substance. They inform without truly transforming.

And that is precisely what raises questions about our profession.

What does it really mean to communicate?

What are we actually doing when we "communicate"? Many would say we are conveying a message. Others would say we are touching the hearts of our audience. Others still would describe it as building connections.

Umberto Eco understood this well: natural language implies addressing someone. It is rooted in otherness, in the awareness that there is another person on the receiving end, and that meaning is something we construct with them, not simply for them.

This is the dimension AI humanizers cannot provide. The word "communicate" comes from the Latin communicare, meaning "to share" or "to make common". Communication is not simply about transmitting information; it is about establishing a relationship. A text that imitates human expression without genuinely addressing anyone in particular struggles to create anything shared. It circulates, but never truly connects with its reader.

Holding a mirror up to our profession

At this point, some self-criticism is necessary. Communications agencies also frequently produce highly polished, perfectly coherent content: carefully aligned messages, meticulously refined talking points, flawless wording with every rough edge smoothed away.

Yet there is another kind of communication: the kind that transforms. The kind that challenges, engages and builds meaningful connections. And many of us have, at times, lost sight of it.

Could AI humanizers ultimately be an exaggerated reflection of our own habits? Faced with these tools, we should ask ourselves: what does our communication become when we polish it too much, when we forget the person on the other side? Perhaps that is the real mirror being held up to us.

Words carry responsibility

There is an even deeper issue at stake: responsibility.

Words carry weight. Saying "I promise" is not simply expressing an intention; it is performing an act. It means making a commitment. The person making that promise takes responsibility and makes themselves accountable.

For a brand or a business leader, this is at the very heart of communication. Words must stand for a promise. They must build a relationship of trust, because there is someone behind them, someone who is prepared to stand by what they say.

An AI-humanized text cannot truly make a promise on its own, because there is no one behind it to take responsibility for that commitment. By removing the traces of its own involvement, AI does not create authenticity. Instead, it leaves an empty space: the absence of the person speaking.

And a faceless brand, or a leader without a distinctive voice, will struggle to inspire trust.

This is perhaps the greatest limitation of AI humanizers: they make it possible to produce content that appears human without requiring a real person to take a position, make a commitment or take ownership of what is being said. A form of influence that dispenses with sincerity.

Finding the right words: our guiding principle at O3

So, how do we move forward? By returning to what matters most: finding the right words. Words that get to the heart of things. Words that express what we genuinely believe, rather than simply what might be strategically convenient to say.

Finding the right words is a genuine strategic choice. Because it is through those words that we create shared meaning, build connections and demonstrate commitment.

This does not mean turning our backs on AI. It remains an incredibly powerful tool for exploring a topic, structuring ideas and saving time wherever possible. But the final word, the one that carries responsibility and creates an emotional connection, must remain our own.

Rather than swinging between overly impersonal communication and completely unfiltered expression, we should take the time to choose our words carefully. That is our best way to stand apart from machines. Because the right words create connections. And at the heart of every connection is another person.