Episode 95
How to Humanize Your AI Copywriting (Ex-DC Journalist POV) - w/ Joshua
Beyond the Bot: Why Your AI Marketing is Failing (and the Journalist’s Fix) In the noise-saturated landscape of 2026, the barrier to entry for content has never been lower, but the barrier to trust has never been higher. Everyone has access to the same LLMs, the same prompts, and the same "perfect" prose.
How this episode answers humanize AI copywriting searches.
Joshua's episode is the AI writing and editing conversation in the Ready Set Do archive. The transcript opens with the claim that AI is bad at creating the final product and introduces Joshua as a former reporter for The Hill in DC, making the useful angle less about prompts and more about editing, judgment, and human voice.
- The transcript says AI is bad at creating the final product.
- The transcript introduces Joshua as a former reporter for The Hill in DC.
- The conversation discusses human voice and why AI humanizers are not the same as real editorial judgment.
Who this is for
- You want a public signal that actually helps your work, not empty internet vanity.
- You would rather hear Joshua's version while the mess is still fresh than get another polished hindsight sermon.
Key takeaways
- Humanize Your AI Copywriting (Ex-DC Journalist POV) - w/ Joshua
- Diversify your intake: Read The New York Times , The Atlantic , and The Economist to see how professional editors handle short and long-form narratives.
- Practice prose: Writing is a muscle. You can’t expect to write a viral white paper if you haven't practiced the basic "chords" of storytelling.
- Be Inefficient: Don't be afraid to take the long way around a story. It’s those human tangents that build the trust AI can't replicate.
- Blueprint for Effective Writing
- Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn
Need the cleaner version?
I pulled the sharpest parts of this lane into a guide so you do not have to reconstruct the answer from memory later.
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Read the complete transcript
The complete conversation is available with timestamps, speaker labels, and links to the exact questions it answers.
Transcript-backed moments
A few lines worth stealing before you hand over the full hour.
AI is exceptionally bad at creating the final product. Even now, especially now, he used to be a reporter for The Hill in DC, covering stories coming straight out of the White House. Now, Joshua Altund
of the White House. Now, Joshua Altund is the fractional chief communications officer for high growth firms. I love being a reporter. It was a great job. I thought that's what I would
job. I thought that's what I would basically be doing for my career. In 2026, everyone and their grandma is using AI to write, but most people are actually just creating AI slop that no
actually just creating AI slop that no one reads and worse, it destroys their brand instead of building it once you know the formula and this is true in any industry is then you can break it. He
industry is then you can break it. He revealed the oneword trap that might be killing your brand credibility. Turns out being personable can be a huge blunder. Let's say you're a healthcare
Show notes
Beyond the Bot: Why Your AI Marketing is Failing (and the Journalist’s Fix) In the noise-saturated landscape of 2026, the barrier to entry for content has never been lower, but the barrier to trust has never been higher. Everyone has access to the same LLMs, the same prompts, and the same "perfect" prose. A digital environment filled with "brain rot"—content that is grammatically flawless but intellectually invisible. In this episode of Ready Set Do , we sit down with Joshua Altman , CEO of Beltway Media and a former digital media producer for The Hill in Washington, D.C.
FAQ
How do you humanize AI copywriting?
Use AI for drafts and raw material, then edit for human voice, specificity, judgment, and the final product. The episode warns against treating AI output as publish-ready.
Why does AI copy sound generic?
The episode frames the problem as a final-product problem: AI can generate language, but the human still has to add judgment, reporting instincts, specificity, and voice.
What would an ex-journalist change in AI copy?
The episode points toward clearer claims, sharper framing, more human voice, and stronger editing before anything goes live.
More in Get Heard
Same mess. Different guest. Pick the next conversation that feels closest to your real life.