Hey Traveler,
Continuing on with Creator Trends of 2026.
Today we are tackling the big scary buzzword of the last three years.
AI.
Everyone is using AI now. Brands, agencies, creators, and your friend's mom who just discovered Facebook's Meta AI and now texts it more than her real-life friends. (I lied… that is my mom. Sorry mom.)
Every month there is a new tool, a new software, a new update. Every app we use is integrating AI into its creator workflows, whether we like it or not.
YouTube, for example, is rolling out features like Ask Studio, where you can literally ask YouTube for:
• breakdowns of your analytics
• content ideas
• help understanding comments
• suggestions for community engagement
• tips for improving your channel
Meta AI is being baked into everything across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It is their built-in assistant you can use to brainstorm ideas, summarize comments, draft replies, and research topics without leaving the app.
So yes, the AI wave is a lot.
The good news is:
These tools are here to support the creation process, not replace the creator.
If anything, AI is here to steal the tasks we all secretly hate.
- Editing
- Caption writing
- Script cleanup
- Emails..
- Planning & Scheduling
- All the repetitive stuff that eats your time but not your creativity.
And here is the real plot twist.
There is a growing counter-culture around AI-generated content. Because shockingly, people do not like being lied to, and we can FEEL when something is off. AI video content has a certain uncanny quality, and audiences are noticing.
And the platforms actually do listen to audiences...( I mean, if they don't, people will leave and go elsewhere.)
They do not want AI-generated slop infiltrating feeds either.
So they are already pivoting to protect real creators.
TikTok is rolling out a feature that lets users limit how much AI content they see on their For You Page. They are literally giving people a slider to turn AI down.
The new content protection tool in Facebook's professional dashboard notifies creators when someone reposts their content, lets them track that repost, and gives them the option to remove it from Instagram and Facebook. (YouTube has had its own version of this through Content ID for a long time.)
Translation: Platforms are actively trying to keep AI from drowning out human creators.
Because audiences do not come to social media for perfect robots.
They come for messy ol humans.
And here is the part that matters most.
As AI becomes the default, your voice becomes your advantage.
- Your humor
- Your storytelling
- Your emotional range
- Your messy little human moments
- Your face
- Your opinions
- Your energy
AI can help you work faster, but it cannot recreate the "you-ness" that makes people stop, watch, and feel something.
So use AI like a dishwasher.
Helpful, time-saving... you CAN handwash your plates, but why?
Let it take the dirty work off your plate, literally. It handles the cleanup, and some pieces will ALWAYS need to be handwashed.
But you are still the one doing the cooking.
Tomorrow in Part 3 we are diving into how to actually show up in 2026 without burning out.
💛 Nadine
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