A Morning Thinking About Human Connection & Analog Experiences

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I know I’m not the only one who gets exhausted by it quickly. AI has given us one of the most powerful toolkits in history, but it’s taken away the mess of being human. Who doesn’t love a good mess?

It’s a tough balance because this AI revolution has deeply impacted my work and what we do at And Zeros. At first, I saw it as a fear and a clock ticking down. It was only time until everyone stopped needing creative humans for their marketing and just prompt away. Fortunately, I found that wasn’t actually the case.

We quickly adapted our business to the new future. We spent the last year and a half learning AI-Search, now commonly known as GEO & AEO. Instead of using AI to do our work, we discovered how to help our clients rank in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and other LLMs. That work has been extremely rewarding and kept us sharp. It’s not like the entire world of SEO flipped, but there’s a lot more involved now that help these rankings and meeting consumers where they are. It felt good not to just prompt and repeat, but to actually learn new skills that optimize for AI-discovery instead of using AI for our creativity.

I’ve been an analog addict my whole life. I started off my music journey recording on a 4-track Tascam Portastudio and cut tape and learned to record music on a Neve 8108 console and tape machines. I’ve always been drawn to the physicality and imperfections of analog music and consumption. It’s honestly what keeps me inspired.

Outside of a constantly growing cassette and vinyl collection, I’ve been collecting VHS tapes and DVDs for years and nothing beats the warmth of a CRT TV. It all feels so human and when art is physical, it does something to your brain.

I also shoot film photography and use actual cameras instead of strictly my phone. Nothing keeps you in the moment more than an actual camera.

Marketing used to be a similar process for me. When I entered the field, I used to spend hours, days, or sometimes even weeks brainstorming campaign ideas and messaging. A go-to-market strategy could take several months to develop. Now… people just talk about the AI agent to create your GTM in one click. I mean sure, it’s technical a GTM, but at what cost?

Humans crave analog experiences.
Humans crave analog connections.

The rise of the real-world experience is here and that’s absolutely hilarious to say. I see it several times a day on LinkedIn now. Thought Leaders talk about how it’s their new revelation! Oh, how industrious.

People who are “investing” in real-world experiences 😂 That’s just hilarious to me because of course you are. You’re investing in being human. We are humans, of course we want real-world experience.

So, while I am a big believer in the tools, just notice how I say tool. It’s the same as getting a new synth or plugin. It’s a palette to use and a color to add in.

The ones prompting with genuine creativity and innovation will still win.

I now take my breaks in my garden. Watering the tomato plants, bird baths, and filling up the bird seed. That’s where the real creativity comes from.

You can’t create if you don’t experience life.