How Human Insight Will Shape AI-Driven Growth
The Real Engine Behind AI-driven Growth
AI isn’t replacing your team anytime soon, but it is competing for your customers’ attention. And the way you train it today will determine whether or not you have their trust tomorrow.
In the rush to automate everything, too many companies are teaching AI to prioritize speed over substance. They’re optimizing for clicks instead of credibility, personalization instead of authenticity, and rapid response instead of real understanding. What we end up with are systems that move fast but build very little belief.
After more than two decades leading growth and marketing, I’ve seen this evolution from both sides. I’ve been in the room when AI was treated as a fringe experiment, and I’ve led teams where it became the backbone of demand generation. One thing has remained true through it all is that AI will do exactly what you train it to do, and most organizations are still training it to convert, not connect.
That’s a missed opportunity.
The brands that will win aren’t the ones that turn AI into a hyper-efficient salesperson. They’re the ones that train AI to behave like their most trusted advisor. The systems that succeed won’t just optimize delivery, they’ll mirror human values, reflect real customer behavior, and earn credibility with every interaction.
This isn’t about slowing down. It’s about designing AI that supports the same instincts great teams use every day. The best salespeople don’t push. They listen. They ask smarter questions. They make customers feel understood, not targeted. They don’t just close deals, they create confidence in the decision to move forward.
And AI can do that too, if you train it well.
The problem isn’t the technology. It’s the mindset guiding it. Most companies are still using AI to accelerate outdated strategies. They haven’t paused to ask whether those strategies build the kind of trust modern customers actually require.
If you want to scale real growth with AI, train it like you would a team member. Start with the fundamentals:
- Listen before acting.
- Understand before optimizing.
- Guide instead of pushing.
- Offer value before asking for attention.
- Build confidence, not just conversion.
This shift requires more than technical skill, it requires leadership. Leaders who understand human behaviour, ethical persuasion, and the long game of trust-building are the ones who will shape AI into something meaningful. Because the future isn’t human versus machine; it’s machine guided by the instincts of leaders who know what matters.
AI is here, and it will follow the blueprint you give it. So make sure that the blueprint reflects speed or scale, understanding, empathy, and trust.
That’s how growth will happen next.
Get The Trust OS™ Manifesto PDF: https://thriveity.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Trust-OS™.pdf
