I live in one of London’s trendy “villages”. Crystal Palace is all indie shops and cafés, Bugaboo prams and whippets. Personally, I think it’s heaven. And my local Facebook community agrees.

So imagine our collective dismay when the news that a branch of Gail’s was set to open on our beloved “triangle” of shops. I’ve seen many passionate posts encouraging people to avoid the draw of the rapidly growing bakery and coffee chain. And it’s not the first time a Gail’s opening has led to uproar – Walthamstow village’s objections to the chain moving in became national news.

Now to reveal my hypocrisy. Gail’s has opened its doors and I’m pretty sure I’ll be a customer. I will never ever abandon my indie café favourites – shout out to Four Boroughs and Etudes – where I have spent many an afternoon with a friend chain-drinking lattes and enjoying the unique ambiance. But when I’m in need of a quick bite, it will be hard not to dash into Gail’s for a tried-and-tested almond croissant or a squash slice.

As a writer, I feel the same way about AI. I was cautious when the first rumblings about something called “generative AI” began. Outsourcing creativity to a machine felt wrong. Surely this technology was just after my job? Well, more than a year down the line, I still believe in the art of writing by real people – in fact, I value its magic more – but I admit AI has a place.

Yes, I use AI

At first it began as a better-the-devil-you-know exercise. As colleagues started to talk about AI, I had to understand what it was capable of.

Initially I was relieved. AI-isms quickly became obvious (although I’m less bothered by em dashes than everyone on LinkedIn). But after playing with AI tools more and more, I also realised that it did have something to offer me. Yes, it would give me 10 pretty average, often clichéd headlines that I couldn’t use, but one of them might surface a verb that could work in a different way. I soon saw its value as a creative springboard.

And I can’t deny it is helpful for research. At The Frameworks, we are often grappling with gnarly subject matter. I can spend a lot of time digging to get to grips with technical topics – from manufacturing methods to the latest cloud computing terms. Now AI can give me neat, conversational summaries – recently it helped me really get my head around the complexity of agentic AI – and speed things up drastically.

Similarly, those pesky AI bots in your Zoom call? Well, they actually save a lot of time when I can’t quite remember when we said that piece was due. 

The downside of convenience

It’s difficult to resist the shortcut once you know it’s there. We’re human after all; we naturally look to make things easier for ourselves.

But as a writer, I can honestly say that while AI is helpful for research and noodling ideas, it can’t capture your voice or create something that truly stands out. That’s my job.

I asked ChatGPT to rewrite this piece and it used words and turns of phrase that just didn’t feel me. It lacked my voice. And the best writing – even in B2B – captures the essence of an author by playing with language, creating rhythms and experimenting with word order to match their tone. I simply don’t think it can deliver the same quality of thought leadership for clients as I can (pat on back).

Most importantly, AI’s output still veers towards the predictable. Just like a Gail’s mozzarella sandwich, it lacks the joy of the unexpected that only human creativity can bring.

Everything has a place

Chain stores are nothing new. They’re a known quantity that delivers when you need a quick fix. But can anything beat an independent café that’s created its own world? That prides itself on its choice of beans and roast? That shapes a community that can’t be repeated anywhere else?

AI and writers can coexist in this way too. We each have our place. The best written content will always have a human touch, but AI (with a human editor) can be helpful. Brands that fail to recognise the need for balance in content creation – and put all their eggs in the AI basket – will soon feel the repercussions. Just look at McDonald’s Netherlands' AI Christmas ad that got pulled within days.

As for Gail’s, I’ll pop in every now and then. But when I want to have a memorable Saturday with friends, I’ll always choose artisan over ease.