Talking To AI More Than People?
Part 4 of the Soulful AI Guardrails series — on how to stay real when technology feels easier than people.
A quick note before we dive in.
This month’s series explores Soulful AI—how to use technology without losing your center.
I know AI isn’t everyone’s topic of choice, but it’s part of the same journey we’re on here: staying human in a world that keeps accelerating.
For now, think of this as a field report from the frontier — written through the same lens of presence, purpose, and possibility that always guides my work.
Our usual rhythm returns in November.
Last week, we explored the Soulful AI guardrail of Simplicity—how focus helps us cut through the noise and act on what really matters.
But focus alone isn’t enough. Because once we simplify, we can find ourselves working in near-perfect efficiency… alone.🥺
That’s where the third Soulful AI guardrail comes in: Humanity. It’s about remembering that technology can amplify creativity, but it can’t replace connection.
The Temptation to Go It Alone
It’s tempting to think you don’t need people.
As a scrappy solopreneur, AI has given me access to a new kind of “team”: brand strategist, editor, content partner, automation expert. In my personal life, it’s become just as indispensable—meal planner, vacation planner, and coach. (Yes, I use my own Meredith AI Coach regularly.)
The other week, I was on an AI bender. 😆 Generating launch strategies, planning calendars, building digital products—it felt great. Creative. Exhilarating.
Until it didn’t.
There was a moment when I realized I was creating in a vacuum. All of these brilliant ideas needed a place to land, to be sifted through my own somatic and intuitive filter.
I hadn’t left the house in days or talked with anyone in a meaningful way. In the middle of all that prolific creation, I realized I felt lonely.
So I called my best friend and spilled everything—the ideas, the excitement, the overdrive. She listened. Then she challenged me. We laughed and debated, the way old friends do.
By the end of that call, I felt seen again—grounded in the human part of me, not just the producer part.
That’s the Humanity Guardrail in a nutshell: being human matters.
The Cost of Disconnection
AI is an extraordinary tool for thinking, but it can quietly pull us out of feeling.
It can make us faster, but not necessarily deeper. More prolific, but not more connected.
When we rely on AI to brainstorm, plan, and problem-solve, we risk skipping the messy, relational process that makes ideas richer—real conversations, friction, feedback, laughter.
Humans are meant to challenge and refine one another. That dynamic exchange creates wisdom that no algorithm can replicate.
If we forget that, we start living from the neck up—optimized, informed, but subtly isolated.
When technology becomes your main collaborator, you may feel productive but strangely disconnected. The antidote isn’t to quit AI. It’s to balance it with embodiment and genuine human interaction.
Your Turn
Where are you craving real connection? What conversation or human moment might bring you back into your body today?
Remember: AI can simulate understanding, but it can’t truly witness you. Only people can do that.
Do: Balance AI time with embodiment, conversation, and rest. Step away regularly to reconnect with people, nature, and your body.
Don’t: Let AI replace relationships or emotional processing. If something feels tender, talk it through with a trusted friend, coach, or mentor—not just a machine.
Red flag: Reaching for AI when what you really need is rest, reflection, or real conversation.
Try this with Meredith AI →
After using AI for reflection or planning, open your Meredith AI Coach and say:
“After all this time spent on AI this week, help me notice what part of me needs real conversation, not another idea.”
“Ask me one question that helps me process this through my body or intuition.”
“Help me name who I most need to connect with right now — a friend, mentor, colleague, partner, or myself — and how I can reach out.”
Clarity rarely comes from more thinking — it comes from being witnessed, felt, and seen.
A five-minute call, a shared laugh, or a quiet check-in with yourself can do more than another brainstorm ever could.
I’d love to hear from you: When you need to feel seen—not just useful—who do you reach for?
+Big Love,
Meredith
P.S. Next up: The Integrity Guardrail—how to keep your voice, values, and creative truth intact while collaborating with AI.🙌
If you haven’t yet, grab your copy of the Soulful AI Guardrails — a short primer on what to avoid, what to embrace, and how to make AI your ally.
♻️ Repost to share with other women who might be used to going it alone.
➕ Follow Meredith Vaish for intuitive leadership and weekly practices to pause, reset, and lead from alignment.
👉 Or browse past issues:
What Are You Really Waiting For?
When Imposter Syndrome Crashes The Party
