Dr Seuss-esque garden-inspired stage design. Interactive AI bot stations. An event-specific parfumerie aptly named ‘Scent to Inbox’. World-class speakers dropping knowledge bombs.
This was FWD 2025, and what a sensory feast it was—both visually and intellectually. Between the plentiful food and even more food for thought, my belly, notebook and brain reached full capacity.
The lineup delivered in spades—Neil Patel touting email marketing hacks, Byron Sharp dismantling marketing assumptions with scientific analysis, Rebel Wilson on building an authentic bulletproof personal brand, and even the creator of Australia's beloved blue heeler family teaching us about authentic storytelling. Naturally, I found myself furiously scribbling notes and walking away with nuggets of wisdom.
But it was the Creative Intelligence panel featuring Joe Brumm (the creative genius behind Bluey), Karen Ferry, and Zach Kitschke from Canva that sparked a connection I couldn't ignore. Their candid conversation about AI and authenticity got me thinking: what does this mean for b2b brands currently wrestling with their own digital transformation journeys? How do companies maintain their hard-won technical authority while embracing AI innovations?
The AI adoption dilemma many brands face
While tech startups and digital-native companies grab headlines with their rapid AI adoption, established b2b organisations are grappling with a very different reality: how do you integrate artificial intelligence into marketing processes that have been built over decades, often in traditional environments, without losing the technical authority and authentic voice that's taken years to establish?
The challenges are multilayered:
- Technical credibility at stake: When everyone can generate "expert content" with an AI prompt, how do you maintain the genuine expertise that sets your brand apart?
- Connection vs efficiency: How do you balance automation efficiencies with the human relationships that have always been the backbone of sales?
- Brand voice dilution: As content volume increases through AI tools, how do you maintain a consistent, authentic brand voice that resonates with buyers?
For marketing directors across Australia, these aren't theoretical questions—they're pressing business challenges with significant implications for brand equity and market positioning.
The "soulless efficiency" trap
"When AI tries to sound human, and humans try to sound like AI, we end up in this uncanny valley where everything feels the same," Karen Ferry noted during the panel. This observation hit home for me.
The rush to adopt AI has created a sea of sameness—LinkedIn posts that sound suspiciously alike, websites with identical structures and technical content lacking the grit and wisdom that comes from genuine industry experience.
For brands whose value proposition often hinges on decades of specialised expertise and problem-solving capabilities, this homogenisation poses a particular threat.
Beyond the AI vs human dichotomy
What became clear from the Creative Intelligence panel is that the question isn't whether to use AI or not—it's how to use it in a way that amplifies rather than replaces your brand's authentic voice.
Joe Brumm's approach to creativity offered a fascinating parallel. When asked about his creative process for Bluey, he described collecting real observations from life—interactions with his children, parenting moments, human emotions—and then using these authentic seeds to create stories that resonate universally.
This approach translates remarkably well to b2b marketing: gathering real expertise, customer insights, and industry knowledge first, then using AI to amplify and extend these authentic foundations—not replace them.
The Brand Essence Framework: Finding AI and authenticity equilibrium
Based on the panel's insights and our experience working with b2b clients, I've developed a simple framework for determining which elements of your marketing must remain human-crafted and where AI can best serve as an amplifier:
| Element | Human Role | AI Role |
| Brand strategy & positioning | Wholly human-driven; requires deep understanding of market nuances, competitive landscape, and organisational values | Can assist with data analysis and market research aggregation, but decisions must be human-led |
| Technical expertise & thought leadership | Core insights must come from genuine human expertise and experience | Can help expand, format, and optimise content, but not generate the foundational insights |
| Customer relationship communications | Human touch essential, especially for complex solutions and high-value relationships | Can assist with personalisation at scale and response suggestions, but should maintain human review |
| Visual identity & design | Creative direction, brand guidelines, and key visual assets require human creativity | Can generate variations, mock-ups, and implement established visual languages at scale |
| Marketing execution | Strategic decisions on channel mix, campaign structure, messaging hierarchy | Can optimise performance, generate variations, and automate repetitive tasks |
Finding your AI-authentic balance
For b2b marketers looking to harness AI without losing their soul, here are five practical strategies to implement:
- Document your brand voice with specificity - Create detailed guidelines beyond just tone and style. Include industry terminology, technical depth expectations, and examples of "what we say" versus "what we don't say" to guide AI usage.
- Create a human-AI workflow - Designate which parts of your content process must be human-initiated (typically strategy, core insights, technical validation) and which can be AI-assisted (typically expansion, formatting, optimisation).
- Establish a technical accuracy review process - Even AI content that sounds perfect may contain subtle technical inaccuracies that can damage credibility. Implement a technical review stage with subject matter experts.
- Build an authentic content foundation - Systematically capture genuine expertise through interviews, technical discussions, and customer interactions before bringing in AI tools.
- Conduct regular brand voice audits - As AI usage increases, regularly review your external communications to ensure your distinctive voice and technical depth haven't been diluted.
The future belongs to the authentic
As we wrapped up the day at FWD 2025, Zach from Canva shared a perspective that perfectly captured the opportunity: "AI will make those mediocre stay average and the excellent will become extraordinary."
For b2b brands with genuine expertise and distinctive character, AI offers an unprecedented opportunity to scale your authentic voice while maintaining the soul that's been built through decades of real-world problem-solving and industry experience.
The winners won't be those who simply adopt AI tools fastest, but those who thoughtfully integrate them in ways that amplify rather than replace what makes them uniquely valuable to their customers.
In a world where technical content becomes increasingly available through automation, the premium will shift toward authenticity, genuine insight, and the distinctive character that only your organisation can bring to the market.
Is your organisation struggling to balance digital transformation with authentic brand building? Let's book a strategy call to explore how your expertise can be amplified, not replaced, in the AI era.
Brand chemistry is a b2b content marketing agency that turns your brand’s narrative into an irresistible lead magnet. Our strategic alchemy transforms content into a powerful growth engine.