There’s no question AI is a major topic in marketing.

It’s exciting. It’s terrifying. And it’s everywhere.

But as everyone races to adopt AI, I find myself equally excited about the powerful trends counterbalancing it.

The human side of marketing is making a comeback.

Call it Newton’s third law in action.

For every force pushing us toward AI and automation, there’s an equal and opposite pull back toward intentional connection.

It’s the reason we find ourselves gravitating toward uniquely human moments and touch points in the face of AI’s proliferation. Things like in-person events, webinars, online communities, authentic creator-style content, and the 1:1 conversations AI can’t get in the middle of.

Let’s explore the human renaissance rising alongside AI in marketing.

What’s driving the trend

Marketers are adopting AI faster than ever. We’re outsourcing busywork, speeding up production, and generating more content with less effort.

And it’s great. But the more we streamline, the more we start to feel what’s missing.

Digital channels like social media were already intense and overwhelming.

As content quality continues to rise, more people turn into part-time creators (as they should!), and AI-generated content enters our feeds, the digital channel burnout is real.

In a sea of AI-generated everything and social feed fatigue, people are craving content and connections that feel real.

That rediscovery is drawing people back to deeply human moments and channels:

• Connecting on 1:1 calls.
• Planning on paper instead of prompts.
• Hanging out in niche communities—online and offline.
• Creating with a lived point of view. Because surface-level content no longer cuts it.

Even shifts like the arrival of AI search are ironically pushing people back to the fundamentals of marketing. AI search is a microcosm of the trend:

• New AI tech arrives—In this case, AI-powered search results. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI summaries.
• Humans go back to the basics—The tactics that yield AI search result appearances are long-established marketing fundamentals—earning PR coverage because of reporter relationships, publishing content where you’re the primary source, being a recognized thought leader in your niche, etc.

Marketing as a whole is experiencing the shift.

As AI advances, it’s unintentionally pulling us back to the marketing equivalent of touching grass — a deeper, more intentional appreciation for the innately human.

So while AI opens new doors, it’s also creating space for something else: A pull back toward presence, craft, and connection.

Let’s explore the trends and channels that highlight the growing value of human connection in an AI-augmented marketing landscape.

Related: Taste & Distribution: The New Brand Moats in a Flood of AI Content

1. In-person events making their comeback

During the pandemic, the marketing community was forced to go fully online.

And while many of the digital-first strategies we adopted stuck, like TikTok being established as a major marketing channel, the role of event marketing proved to be something we ultimately missed.

And that role wasn’t about badge scans and lead generation. It was about the opportunity to connect with our colleagues, peers, and customers.

That’s why events like these continue to carve out a role in corporate marketing and the creator economy:

• Ish Verduzco hosts creator community meet-ups to bring his digital network together.
• The company I work for hosts an annual customer and partner event called Cornerstone Spark. While it showcases solutions like a typical trade show, it’s less about that. The bigger idea is creating a forum for people to connect in person and build relationships.
• One of my colleagues attended the Product Marketing Alliance Summit. She walked away with fresh insights and turned network connections into new friendships.
• I attended a product marketing team on-site in New York where I connected with colleagues in-person for the first time. While we accomplished planning milestones and shared insights we could certainly cover remotely, the in-person team bonding time felt great and left our team of product marketing leads ready to tackle 2H together.

Amid digital chaos and automation, these in-person forums give us the opportunity to unplug and take our digital connections steps further into strong networks and real friendships.

I see in-person events like meet-ups and conferences continuing to hold their own as dependable, appreciated platforms over the course of the next few years. Especially as digital channels and content rapidly evolve.

2. Creator-style content taking over social

When we aren’t fleeing to IRL spaces to take a digital break, we’re experiencing shifts in the content we create and consume online.

There’s a bifurcation of digital content happening thanks to AI:

1. Information-first content is being commoditized. We are ok with things that anyone can create being generic, AI-generated, or “faceless.” Think definitions, lists of facts, strategy frameworks, etc. AI tools are well suited to create these, and will do so at scale.
2. Experience-first content is rising in value. Content based on unique human experience and insights—Authentic, unpolished creator-style content, vulnerable reflections, how-to guides built from experience, etc. These are harder for AI to replicate because they’re based on lived experience and inputs that AI doesn’t have access to.

As AI standardizes information-first content, the second category is changing what marketing and personal branding look like.

Some examples of the type of content people are turning toward:

1. Hannah Zhang sharing the lessons she learned creating a prolific creator following alongside her corporate marketing career.
2. Jayde I. Powell sharing the real agencies and contacts she used to earn brand deals from her LinkedIn presence.
3. Enara Roy sharing five of her top lessons from five years working in corporate.

What this style of content has in common:

• We trust the source—We care about these narratives because of the unique context the source speaks from. We trust their lived experience.
• We relate to the journey—Not every post is written from a “been there, done that” perspective. Some of the best content is coming from people in the messy middle. People who are building in public, learning as they go, and sharing what’s working and what’s not with an authentic tone.

As people place even more value on authentic human voices, we’re seeing a transformation across the internet in favor of that content.

Creator-style content already took over B2C marketing on TikTok and Instagram. Now, it’s making its way to LinkedIn, driving a B2B creator moment as B2B brand marketing prioritizes the human voices audiences want to hear from.

We’re experiencing a new kind of digital authorship. One where your story, not just facts or knowledge, is your differentiator.

Related: Starting Over (Smarter This Time): Rebuilding My Personal Brand After a Year of Big Changes

3. The continued rise of digital communities

In-person events aren’t the only places people are gathering.

Digital communities are stronger than ever, with platforms like Reddit, Substack, and Discord continuing the momentum they gained during the pandemic.

These forums offer the opportunity to connect and socialize in niche-focused digital spaces where people are safe from the pace and chaos of social feeds.

Some examples I’ve seen firsthand:

• Justin Welsh launched a new Substack community where he connects regularly through forum posts and live webinars. Seeing Justin respond to Substack comments directly in back-and-forth conversations has a different feel than when he shares a LinkedIn post to his 700K+ followers.
• Derek Hughes hosted a webinar I attended on writing and digital products. Derek brought his community together to hear from him first-hand in an informal, open forum where we could ask questions and hear his unfiltered takes on digital entrepreneurship.
• In 2024, I joined Dulma Atlan’s creator community cohort. The program featured weekly live Zoom calls and 1:1 strategy sessions where she taught us how to create our own digital presence and creator habits.

These community platforms are resonating because they offer depth.

They’re the “bottom of funnel” so to speak for digital connection. Spaces where people can cut through performative social feeds and have organic, unfiltered conversations.

When I think about these channels in the context of corporate marketing or personal branding, they’re strategies that intentionally don’t scale.

Because the fact that they demand real time and effort adds to their meaning and makes them even more impactful.

As our feeds get more competitive and AI-generated content promotes a degree of sameness, people will continue to seek deeper conversations and connections.

Digital communities give us a place to find it.

What these trends mean for your brand

If you’re a marketer or creator navigating today, it’s worth paying attention to the trends running in parallel to AI’s advance.

As AI reshapes the discipline of marketing with scale and speed, people are also reshaping it with authenticity.

We are craving content that feels personal, spaces that feel real, and brands that feel human.

Here are some ways to lean into our quest for human connection in your own content creation and marketing.

1. Create in public, not just behind closed doors

Marketing used to be about polished campaigns. Today, audiences resonate with transparency.

• Share the behind-the-scenes.
• Show what you’re learning in real time.
• Talk about what didn’t work alongside your successes.

This applies to brands and individuals. Authentic, creator-style content builds trust faster than the most refined ad spot or promotional video.

Try this: Post a personal reflection, lesson, or experiment from your week to drive discussion.

2. Encourage personal brand building inside your org

Your teammates’ voices might be the most powerful distribution channel you’re not using.

People follow people. If you’re in marketing or leadership, empower your team to share their expertise online. It expands your brand’s reach and humanizes it.

And if you’re an aspiring content creator, take advantage of the moment. Never has it been more accepted or in-demand for people to create content alongside their day jobs.

Try this: Offer LinkedIn content prompts, share templates, or host internal office hours to help non-marketers start building their personal brands.

3. Reimagine events as connection-first experiences

Sure, events are marketing channels. But now more than ever, they’re a welcome break from digital overload and the opportunity to spend time with people.

Don’t just go back to events for the badge scans. Turn your IRL spaces into forums for connection. Give people the opportunity to unplug, geek out on their shared niches, and have fun together.

Try this: Host a small-format meetup or customer dinner. No agenda — just people talking. That’s time people will genuinely appreciate. And it still serves as your soft-sell.

4. Build community, not just audience

Communities create a degree of loyalty that AI-generated content never will.

Whether it’s a niche Slack group, cohort-based course, or live Q&A series, digital spaces where people can interact with each other build long-term loyalty.

Try this: Invite your audience into something participatory. A group challenge, a casual Zoom jam session, or even just a weekly thread to share wins.

5. Make content personal, not perfect

AI can do polish. But polish isn’t what breaks through anymore.

What breaks through is your story, your voice, and your lived experience.

Try this: Swap one informational post for a voice note-style written post or video and see how it performs.

Final Thoughts

Of course we need to adopt AI.

It’s reshaping marketing along with most other industries.

And staying ahead means learning how to use it well. That way, we’re ready for whatever change it brings.

But we also need to pay attention to what AI is making space for and pushing us toward.

As automation scales, it’s giving us a greater appreciation for deeper human connections: Real conversations, trusted communities, and content that feels personal.

The marketers and creators who thrive now won’t just use AI the best.

They’ll also lean into what AI can’t replicate — presence, personality, and connection.

Because in the age of automation, it’s the human side of marketing that sets us apart.