Don't Let AI Write Your Emails

Imagine an AI-generated voice -- it'll be clear and polished.

Now, my voice is not as clear. I have an accent. I pronounce some words wrong (guess how many people commented on the way I mispronounced "Boolean" in one of my recent Instagram videos!).

But it is my voice. And when you hear me, you know that it's me.

Same with emails. When you send an email, you say something to a person, just in writing. You, not AI!

An AI-generated email will be polished and clear, but it will not be yours. Your written voice -- your tone, your style, the way you express yourself -- will be lost.

Of course, if it's an email to request a refund, I'll just Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V whatever Claude wrote. It's transactional, and the tone doesn't matter.

But if you write to someone who matters -- if it's your boss, or your prof -- please do the writing yourself.

As a prof, I teach large classes (sometimes, more than a thousand students!). I often only get to speak with my students via email. How would I get to know them if they all say "I hope this email finds you well"?

I don't care if you incorrectly use the past perfect tense, or miss some articles (see Tip 112). Only robots are perfect. A human has a right to be imperfect. And when I receive an email from a human, I want it to be written by one.