Text Academy Podcast #39 - Barbara Schwede : "Is AI flattening language - or democratizing communication?"
Are we currently experiencing a new era of democratic participation thanks to artificial intelligence, or are we at risk of losing our own «unique voice» in a flood of machine-smoothed texts? In the Text Akademie Foundation’s AI podcast, Barbara Schwede explains how AI accelerates language production while simultaneously challenging our authenticity and cultural identity.
The communications and strategy expert and lecturer views artificial intelligence (or AI) primarily as a tool for democratization, as it enables many people to articulate their thoughts more precisely and professionally. But at the same time, this progress leads to a «linguistic uniformity» in which individual nuances and creative quirks are lost. As the expert explains in a conversation with host Christoph Soltmannowski, she views this trend so critically that she’s even adapting her own writing style to set herself apart from the machine; for example, she now consciously avoids using hyphens, as they strike her as a typical AI style today.
The responsibility lies with people
A key risk of technological change is the «mental sleep mode» into which many users fall when they uncritically accept the AI’s “perfect” results. Schwede, however, emphasizes unequivocally that responsibility for content must always remain with humans. Anyone who puts their name on a text must be able to stand by every sentence, especially since AI models tend to invent facts or sources that sound plausible. The ability to critically question and actively intervene in text drafts is thus becoming a new core competency.
The boundaries are shifting in journalism and corporate communications as well. While AI efficiently handles repetitive tasks and standard texts, in-depth research, emotional interpretation, and a clear personal stance remain indispensable human domains.
The Dangers of Fabric Softener
Today, brands must deliberately develop their own language profiles to avoid getting lost in the sea of «watered-down» AI-generated texts. The future of language-related professions no longer lies in pure production, but in the role of the curator—someone who uses technology as a source of inspiration while retaining creative control.
The video podcast «AI and Society—Paths to a New World,» hosted by Christoph Soltmannowski, is produced by the Text Akademie Foundation. Two episodes are released each month on Spotify, YouTube and the other major podcast platforms.
