The One-Degree Difference

Imagine two train tracks running perfectly parallel.

At the starting point, they look identical: close enough that no one would notice a difference.

Now imagine that one shifts by just one degree.

It’s barely perceptible at first.
But over distance, that tiny divergence becomes a chasm.

That’s what’s happening right now with AI.

Two tracks that look the same - both using the “similar” tools (on the surface anyway), both creating content, both saying they “value authenticity.”

But one track is outsourcing thought.
The other is amplifying it.

One is letting AI generate.
The other is using AI to refine, clarify, and expand what’s already yours.

Here’s where it gets tricky.

Most people think they’re being original because they start with a directive or a seed of thought.

They input something personal, AI gives them something that sounds brilliant – and sharper, smoother, more polished.

It’s intoxicating.
Because right now, everyone is bedazzled by better.

But “better” is a seductive trap.
It’s how homogenisation creeps in unnoticed.

Because when you outsource the thinking, even just a little, you start to forget what your real voice sounds like.

The insights that shaped your worldview.
The sentences that built your credibility, your reputation, your identity.

The difference feels subtle now.
But in six to twelve months, the gap will be unmistakable.

Because it’s not about whether you use AI
It’s about where the ideas are coming from.

If your content couldn’t stand on its own in a room,
if you wouldn’t say it out loud to a group of peers or friends,
then what you’re publishing might not actually be you.

And over time, those who hand over their creative instincts to machines will find it harder to cross back.

Because the gap won’t just be between two tracks - it’ll be between two selves.

When the public version of you becomes more polished than your lived one, congruence fractures.

And once that happens, credibility is harder to rebuild than content ever was.

So the real question is:
Which track are you on?

Because right now, they still look very, very similar.
But give it time - and the distance between automation and authenticity will only grow.

The future won’t belong to the ones who sound flawless.
It will belong to the ones who still sound like themselves.

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On 4 December, we’re running a small, in-person Virtually Myself® Bootcamp in Melbourne for founders who want to scale their visibility without losing the voice that built their business.

It’s a hands-on day where you’ll map your core ideas, start your private content vault, and see your personal AI assistant come to life, trained on your actual voice, not a template.

It’s not a tech showcase.
It’s a reset - a way to build a content system that feels like you, and scales like a team of five.

 If you’ve felt the pressure to keep up with content, or worried that AI is making everything sound the same, this day will show you a different path.

A strategic, human-first path where your voice becomes an asset, not an afterthought.