by Caroline Leach | Aug 7, 2026 | Change, Communication, Leadership, Learning
Photography didn’t kill painting.
It created Impressionism.
I was reminded of that during a visit to USC this season as an emerita member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors.
As a student in one of my USC Annenberg classes years ago, we studied how technology disrupted art over time.
Before photography emerged in the 1800s, artists tried to accurately mirror real life in their paintings.
Then cameras arrived.
Suddenly, photographs could capture reality better than paintings ever could.
So some artists stopped competing with the technology.
Instead, they created something technology could not replicate.
Emotion. Interpretation. Perspective.
We now know them as the Impressionists. Artists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Mary Cassatt.
There’s an important lesson for us in the age of AI.
Too many people are trying to out-machine the machine.
The better path is twofold:
1. Work with AI to improve outcomes.
2. Double down on what AI still cannot genuinely replicate: judgment, lived experience, discernment, empathy, perspective, and connection.
Technology rarely eliminates human expression.
It changes the medium.
It spurs evolution.
After all, video didn’t really kill the radio star either.
Radio evolved into podcasts, long-form conversation, and new kinds of storytelling.
Maybe the same will happen with writing, leadership, and communication.
The people who stand out won’t be the ones who sound the most polished.
They’ll be the ones who sound unmistakably human.
What’s one thing you do that AI can’t replicate?
by Caroline Leach | Mar 31, 2024 | Learning
How can you use AI more often in your daily work? 🤖
I’ve been contemplating how to best use AI in my communication, consulting, and coaching business.
And it feels a bit overwhelming at times.
When that happens, I break things down into simple steps.
What’s the easiest way to start?
For me it’s been using the existing AI features in my business and personal tech stack – all the digital tools I use frequently.
Most everything has AI features, so increasingly I’m using them. Just a few:
1. LinkedIn: rewrite with AI
2. iStockPhoto: AI generator
3. MS Teams: speaker coach
In the last example, I’m now using the Speaker Coach feature of Microsoft Teams in meetings where I’m presenting.
Speaker Coach analyzes your speaking along six dimensions:
1. Filler words
2. Pace
3. Inclusiveness
4. Intonation
5. Monologue
6. Repetitive language
It sends a private report just to you as the user right after the meeting.
A sample report from a client meeting is below.
During the meeting, I got a private notification that I was speaking too fast.
Although it was momentarily jarring, it helped me slow down in the moment.
Filler words are also a challenge for me. Too often I say “like” and “you know” that can detract from my message.
In this client meeting, I used filler words 6 times.
In a bigger presentation later the same day? Only 1 time.
So AI is helping me be a better speaker. And a better communication coach for other leaders.
How is AI helping you do better work? Drop a comment 👇
by Caroline Leach | Jan 28, 2024 | Change, Learning
How do you learn to do something new?
Not by thinking, planning, or strategizing.
Instead, we learn simply by doing the new thing.
We learn by being okay feeling uncomfortable and awkward.
We learn by experimenting and having a beginner’s mindset.
Over the weekend, I was reminded of this.
One of my new endeavors for the year is taking adult ballet classes.
It’s been decades since I studied dance almost daily as a teen.
My mind remembers, but my body needs to re-learn how to do the steps.
Our instructor told the packed classroom at the outset, “the way to learn to dance … is to dance.”
So simple. Yet maybe it’s not the first thought when we start something new.
It could be anything new, whether it’s leading, marketing, designing, or something else.
For those who follow me, you know I’m learning to speak Spanish.
This year I’m also learning more about AI. I’m curious about how to better apply it to my work communicating, coaching, and leading.
One of the cool new LinkedIn tools is “rewrite with AI.” So this post appears in two versions, A and B. What resonates with you in each post and why? Drop a comment and let me know. 👇
This is Version A, written by me.
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This is Version B, rewritten with AI.
How do you learn to do something new? Not by overthinking, but by simply doing. We learn by embracing the discomfort of being a beginner and experimenting with a beginner’s mindset. This weekend, I was reminded of this while taking adult ballet classes. Though it’s been decades since I last danced daily, my instructor reminded us that “the way to learn to dance…is to dance.” It’s a simple concept, yet one we often overlook when starting something new. Whether it’s learning a new language like Spanish or exploring the possibilities of AI, the key is to take action and learn by doing. So what new skill are you looking to tackle this year? Share in the comments below.
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P.S. One of the most fascinating learnings from this “rewrite with AI” experiment? I did it 3 times as I made slight edits to my post, and each time the rewrite was fairly different. Trying to decide what to make of that.
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