Messaging is the new moat. AI has made content creation easy, but also saturated the field with repetitive, forgettable content. In a sea of more-of-the-same, curated branding is what separates the standouts from the scroll-bys.

MJ Smith, CMO at feedback and review automation startup CoLab, is helping teams rethink how they use AI—not just to create more, but to create with impact.

Substance, please: "With everyone using AI to speed up content production, strategy and messaging become the only differentiators," says Smith, CMO at CoLab. As AI levels the playing field, she argues, output alone no longer sets brands apart. The real advantage lies in a clear, compelling strategy—one that cuts through the noise and connects. "Output won't be a differentiator anymore," explains Smith.

Bots with benefits: "If you're using AI to pump out content and you don't understand the purpose of that content, the increased output won't help you," warns Smith. More isn’t inherently better, unless it’s grounded in strategy. "If you have a solid strategy, understand your customers, and can fine-tune AI-generated content based on that, the benefits are huge," says Smith.

Amplify the A-team: Smith sees AI not as a replacement, but as an amplifier. "AI is a tool that can scale the output of the best people on your team," she explains. In product marketing, that means shipping custom GPTs that help everyone stay on-message, without requiring a marketer to review every line.

For high-talent teams, this doesn’t mean cutting headcount. As Smith puts it, AI might simply "delay the need for future headcount," making it a smart way to stretch expertise further without sacrificing quality.