AI Overload, AI Resistance or the Third Path?

Hey there!

I started recording this as a video this week, but it just became unreasonably long. And since I haven't entirely recovered from the double ear infection and stomach flu that knocked me out for the past week, I thought I'd just express these thoughts in writing instead.

So there's no video this week —but what you're getting is a really long read, yay! ;)

Remember when AI conversations were mostly confined to tech circles and early adopter communities? That feels like a lifetime ago.

Now these discussions have spilled into every corner of our lives. Your neighbor is worried about their job. Your family dinners somehow turn into heated debates about “the chatbots“. Your local coffee shop has people arguing about whether AI art "counts" as real art.

What used to be a niche tech topic has become a defining conversation of our time.

Whether it's at work, in social spaces, online communities—there's this underlying tension brewing. People seem to feel like they need to have a position. Like they need to declare where they stand.

We're naturally drawn to taking sides where we know who's with us and who's against us. It makes complex topics feel more manageable.

But with AI, this tendency is diluting our energy and stealing our focus at a time when we can least afford it.

We're already struggling to maintain our attention in a world designed to fragment it. Now we're spending precious mental bandwidth defending positions we might not have even chosen consciously.

AI has become one of those topics where you have to pick a side.

Either you're all-in on AI, or you're resistant and anti-AI altogether.

These aren't just casual preferences—they're becoming strong narratives that people feel compelled to defend. I watch brilliant, thoughtful people get pulled into these positions, and it concerns me because I know what it costs them.

It costs them nuance. It costs them curiosity. It costs them the ability to make conscious choices.

When you're locked into "AI for everything" or "No AI whatsoever" thinking critically.

Both of those paths are going to lead you absolutely nowhere.

Especially if you're someone who wants to build an authentic online business, create financial freedom for yourself and your family, and do work that actually feels meaningful.

So I want to offer you a different perspective—a third path that most people are missing entirely because they're too busy picking sides to see it.

But first, let’s look at both sides closely.

The "AI Everything" Camp (And Why It's a Dead End)

Let's start with the first group I'm seeing everywhere: the AI maximalists.

These are the people who've adopted the mindset that AI can replace everything, so they should replace everything with AI.

What this looks like in practice:

• Creating AI avatars to replace their actual presence on social media

• Cloning their voice for automated content

• Pumping out massive volumes of social media content through automation

• Jumping on every "make money with AI fast" tutorial

• Caring less about quality because quantity seems to win short-term

• Chasing every viral AI trend before everyone else catches on

I get the appeal. When Veo3 came out and people started creating those viral videos that got millions of views overnight, it seemed like magic money.

Use automation to create hundreds of videos per day instead of one.

Post them everywhere.

Get followers, affiliate commissions, quick sponsorships.

But here's the problem: Because it's so easy and requires zero brain power or intentionality, hundreds of thousands of people are doing the exact same thing.

The result?

We're all drowning in AI slop.

Meaningless content that clutters every platform and makes it impossible to find anything genuine.

Yes, you might make some quick money this way. But it won't last. It's not sustainable.

And if you're someone with any integrity who actually wants to create meaningful things and provide real value, you're going to get bored really fast.

Because that's not contributing to society or people's lives in any positive way. You just won't be able to do it for long.

The people following this path are always chasing the next trend, always needing to jump on something before everyone else figures it out.

It's exhausting and ultimately hollow.

Here's what they're doing right: They're excited about trying new tools and playing around. They're building skills. They experiment. That's actually valuable. They're not afraid to test things, to get their hands dirty with new technology.

We can borrow that from them.

The "No AI" Camp (And What They're Really Missing)

On the flip side, we have the AI resisters.

As AI slop floods everything, as we lose the ability to trust content or information, there's something beautiful about seeking proof of humanness. We're wired to want to connect with people we trust, from sources we trust.

The people in this camp often:

• Believe their job or career won't change because AI feels too far away

• Are artists (understandably) wanting to protect their craft from intellectual property theft

• Feel behind already and use rejection as a psychological defense mechanism

• Value authenticity above everything else and see AI as a threat to that

• Concerned about societal and ethical implications of AI and feeling helpless about it

And honestly? There's going to be a huge market for this.

The more AI slop we see, the more people will seek out creators, artists, and businesses that proudly declare "No AI used here."

It'll become its own thriving niche.

But here's the problem: Most people in this camp are rejecting AI without ever giving it a fair chance.

When I ask someone who's vocally anti-AI if they've actually tried the tools, the answer is almost always no. Or they tried ChatGPT once, asked it three questions, and decided it wasn't for them.

You're saying no to something without understanding what you're saying no to.

You need to understand that there is absolutely no scenario where complete AI rejection is a viable long-term life position.

Short-term? Sure, you can stay in your bubble for a while. But AI is everywhere now, and it's going to be everywhere. We've crossed a threshold we can't uncross. It's embedded in the tools we use, the platforms we're on, the services we depend on—often without us even knowing it.

And if you DO want to build something meaningful, create services, sell products, or reach people who want to buy from you—you need distribution. You need to be seen.

In today's landscape, refusing to understand or use AI tools at all is going to damage your chances of reaching the people who actually want to buy from you.

Here's what they're doing right: They practice discernment. They know how to say no. They stay close to their values and don't get swayed by every latest trend. They're not automating the shit out of everything in their life and business just because they can.

We can borrow that from them too.

The Third Path: Intentional POV Approach

This brings me to what I call The POV Business—a point-of-view driven, one-person business that uses AI extensively but intentionally.

But what does this actually mean?

The third path isn't about choosing a side. It's about borrowing the best from both camps while avoiding their pitfalls.

From the AI Everything camp, we take their excitement about trying new tools and building skills. That experimental mindset is valuable—they're not afraid to get their hands dirty with new technology.

From the No AI camp, we take their discernment. Their ability to say no. Their commitment to staying close to their values and not getting swayed by every latest trend. They're not automating everything in their life and business just because they can.

The key difference is agency.

Instead of defaulting to "AI can do this, so I should use AI for this," or "AI is bad, so I won't use it for anything," you approach each decision with conscious choice.

You ask yourself:

What happens if I use AI for this over a long period of time?

Will I lose skills I want to keep?

Will I gain efficiency in areas that actually matter to my bigger vision?

Does this align with how I want to show up in the world?

Here's how my though process looks like in practice:

I have a set of processes, tasks, and projects in my business. Some of them I genuinely enjoy and want to keep human. Others are bottlenecks that AI can help me break through.

When I'm creating a YouTube video, could I generate a totally AI script that would convert viewers to subscribers much faster?

Absolutely.

Will I do it?

No.

Because my YouTube channel is a way for me to express myself, to learn how to communicate better, to work through my own thoughts.

It's a journey I'm excited to walk, and I don't want to cut corners.

Also, I'm not interested in cloning my voice or creating an AI avatar because my purpose is to connect with people, create community, and build real relationships.

Those things can't happen through an avatar—at least not the kind of relationships I want to build.

However, after I record a YouTube video and have the transcript, will I use AI to help me repurpose that content for social media and highlight key takeaways?

Absolutely.

I'm taking content that came from my brain, my perspective, my voice, and using AI to help me spread it more efficiently across different formats and platforms.

Why This Path Is the Hardest (But Most Rewarding)

I'll be honest: this middle path is the most difficult one, and it's only accessible to people who are willing to do the inner work.

You need to cultivate a high-level of self-awareness. Be able to understand what you want your life to look like, your limitations, social dynamics, current trends.

You have to be interested in learning, developing yourself, challenging yourself.

Most importantly, you have to be genuinely interested in creating something of value—not just chasing quick wins or retreating into comfort zones.

Every new AI tool that comes out, every viral trend, every "make money fast" opportunity—you have to run it through your filter of intentionality.

Does this serve my larger purpose? Does this align with how I want to build?

Here's why it's worth it:

You're building something that's actually yours.

You're not dependent on algorithms or platforms or tools that could disappear tomorrow.

You're not optimizing yourself out of your own skills.

You're not building an audience for a version of yourself that doesn't actually exist.

You're using AI to amplify your authentic voice, not replace it.

When someone connects with your work, they're connecting with you—not with an optimized version of what some algorithm thinks will perform well.

Getting Unstuck: Exploratory Questions

If you found yourself nodding along to one of the first two camps, here are some prompts to help you explore your own path forward. These are designed for reflection—let AI guide you through the questions, not give you all the answers.

If you're in the "AI Everything" camp:

I've been automating everything I can with AI, but I want to be more intentional. I'm working on [insert your goal/project] and I'm starting to feel [insert how you're feeling - overwhelmed/disconnected/unsure].

Act as a reflective coach who helps me understand my relationship with automation. Ask me one question at a time about what drew me to AI, what I'm hoping to achieve, and how different tools make me feel. Listen for patterns and reflect them back to me.

Your goal is to help me discover what I actually want to keep human vs. what genuinely benefits from automation. 

After our conversation, help me identify 2-3 areas where I might want to pull back from AI and 2-3 areas where it's serving me well.

If you're in the "No AI" camp:

I've been resistant to AI tools, but I'm curious about exploring them thoughtfully. I'm working on [insert what you're creating/building] and my main concern about AI is [insert biggest worry].

Act as a patient guide who helps me understand my resistance without judgment. Ask me one question at a time about my concerns, my current challenges, and what I value most about my work. Look for patterns in what I want to protect vs. what might actually benefit from support.

Your goal is to help me identify one small, low-risk way I could experiment with AI while honoring my values.

After our conversation, suggest one specific 30-day experiment I could try.

If you're ready to find your POV Business path:

I want to develop my own intentional approach to AI. I'm currently working on [insert what you're building] and my core values are [insert 2-3 key values].

Act as a thoughtful guide who helps me understand my own relationship with AI and creativity. 

Ask me one question at a time about my work, values, and goals. Listen for patterns in my responses and reflect them back to me.
Your goal is to help me discover:

What feels sacred in my creative process vs. what feels like busy work
Where AI might serve my vision vs. where it might undermine it
My personal criteria for making AI decisions

After our conversation, summarize what you've learned about my approach and suggest 3-4 simple decision-making questions I can ask myself when considering any AI tool.

The Real Question

At the end of the day, this isn't really about AI at all.

It's about agency.

It's about cultivating the ability to make conscious choices in a world designed to optimize your attention away from what actually matters to you.

Think of it this way: 

The AI Everything approach is like consuming fast food all the time—quick hits of dopamine but ultimately unsustainable. 

The No AI approach is like being on an extremely restrictive diet that strips you of essential nutrients. 

Neither serves your long-term well-being.

But there's a third option: making intentional choices about what nourishes you and what doesn't. 

Sometimes that means saying yes to AI for the things that drain your energy. Sometimes it means saying no to preserve what you find sacred.

It's about developing the agency to choose consciously rather than defaulting to extremes.

It's about knowing yourself well enough to borrow the best from different approaches while staying true to your own vision.

The people who are going to do very well in this AI era won't be the ones who reject it entirely or adopt it blindly. They'll be the ones who develop the agency to use it intentionally—as a tool to become more themselves, not less.

That's the business I'm building.

That's the community I want to create.

If this resonates with you—if you're tired of the extremes and ready to find your own intentional path - this is the last call to Join the waitlist for my AI Solopreneur membership.

I will be opening it up for people on the waitlist on September 22.

This will be in beta and we will co-create this space together, so the places will be limited for this beta round, so if you are not on the waitlist yet and you want in - you know what to do!

If you are on the waitlist, I just want to thank you for your patience, I know it’s been a looooong time in the making 🙂 

Until next week,

Your AI Solopreneur Bestie, Elena