Steven Bartlett’s FlightStory Scales Back AI-Generated Content on LinkedIn
“The Diary of a CEO” host Steven Bartlett’s media company, FlightStory, has strategically reduced its reliance on artificial intelligence for content creation, particularly on LinkedIn. This shift comes after observing a proliferation of generic, AI-generated content – described as “AI slop” – on the platform, and a belief that authentically human-written posts resonate more effectively with audiences.
The Shift Away from AI-Generated LinkedIn Posts
Christiana Brenton, FlightStory’s Chief Revenue Officer and co-founder, explained in a recent interview with Business Insider that the team noticed a saturation of AI-produced content on LinkedIn. She stated that human-written content is now prioritized as a way to stand out and connect with audiences on a more emotional level.1
While AI-generated content may be quicker to produce, Brenton noted that human-crafted posts have demonstrably outperformed them. Interestingly, the company has even embraced imperfections, allowing spelling and grammatical errors to remain in Bartlett’s posts intentionally, as a way to signal authenticity in a landscape increasingly dominated by polished, AI-generated text.1
AI Integration Continues in Other Areas
Despite the pullback on LinkedIn, FlightStory isn’t abandoning AI altogether. The company initiated “Project Gutenberg,” an AI-driven content initiative, last year as part of a company-wide challenge to explore AI’s potential.2 AI is still being utilized across various operations, including the final editing stages of projects like the upcoming animated show, “Steven’s World.”
Isaac Martin, Director of Innovation at FlightStory, emphasized that certain aspects of content creation, such as flow, pacing, and emotional engagement, remain difficult for AI to replicate effectively.2
Focus on “Raw and Human” Content
FlightStory is also exploring opportunities to create more authentic content formats, similar to Bartlett’s “Behind The Diary” series, which features minimally produced videos sharing business insights. Brenton believes that as AI becomes more prevalent, there will be a growing demand for content that feels genuinely human and relatable.2
LinkedIn’s Efforts to Combat AI “Slop”
LinkedIn itself has taken steps to address the issue of low-quality, AI-generated content. The platform has implemented measures to curb artificially boosted posts and automated comments, aiming to maintain the authenticity of user feeds.1
1 Business Insider. (2024, March 1). Steven Bartlett’s media company stopped using AI to craft LinkedIn posts because of ‘AI slop’. https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-bartlett-flightstory-ai-linkedin-posts-human-written-2024-3
2 Steven Bartlett. (n.d.). The Diary of a CEO. https://stevenbartlett.com/doac/
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