AI Is Changing Human Behavior: How to Prepare

AI Explored Podcast with Michael Stelzner & Mark Schaefer
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode, Michael Stelzner (Social Media Examiner) interviews futurist and prolific author Mark Schaefer on how AI is fundamentally transforming human behavior and what that means for marketers, creators, and business owners. The conversation weaves through personal anecdotes, research-backed insights, and practical advice on how professionals can adapt and thrive amid AI-driven change. Listeners receive actionable takeaways about AI’s impact on skills, empathy, consumer decision-making, and the evolving interplay between human creativity and machine intelligence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mark Schaefer’s Journey with AI (02:18–06:22)

• Initial Shock and Existential Questions:
  Mark recounts how testing ChatGPT with an essay in his own voice left him existentially shaken:

  "It did a perfect job. And I pretty much could have used this thing right in the book. And it was one of the most depressing moments of my life." (02:33 — Mark Schaefer)

• From Fear to Excitement:
  Mark describes moving beyond fear to embracing AI as a creative and business companion.

• Teaching and Innovating with AI:
  He now uses AI "almost every hour of the day" (04:23), for everything from brainstorming to creating a “MarkBot” that embodies his writings and frameworks for broader teaching impact.

2. The Big Misconception: Delegation vs. Direct Experience (06:22–08:14)

• Leaders Must Get Hands-On:
  Mark challenges the traditional approach of delegating AI to specialists, insisting that true understanding comes from personal experimentation:

  "You can’t have the right questions until you know what's possible. And you can’t know what's possible until you try this stuff." (07:24 — Mark Schaefer)

• Roll Up Your Sleeves:
  He encourages executives to experiment with tools like NotebookLM, Midjourney, Sora, and Perplexity.

3. The Upside—and Dangers—of AI Adoption (08:47–11:26)

• Balanced Perspective:
  Mark notes the media leans into AI scare stories but emphasizes opportunities for amplifying creativity and curiosity—if used as a tool, not a crutch.

• Cautionary Tale:

  "If you use it as a crutch to only get the answer to pass a test, you’re going to wither." (09:24 — Mark Schaefer)

4. AI’s Most Profound Shifts in Human Behavior

a) Cognitive Offloading & De-Skilling (12:21–16:44)

• The Research Base:
  Schaefer references an Elon University report combining insights from 300 global futurists on AI's societal impact by 2035.

• The Core Trend:
  Cognitive offloading—outsourcing mental tasks to AI—leads to de-skilling, much like how GPS has atrophied map-reading skills:

  "If we turn over too much of our skills, then we’re going to lose important functionality as human beings." (14:35 — Mark Schaefer)

• A Student’s Confession:

  "When you asked me for an interview, my first thought was, I must have ChatGPT give him the answers... I have made myself dumber." (15:36 — Mark Schaefer relaying a student interview)

b) Empathy and Emotional Relationships with AI (17:31–21:22)

• Rise of Empathetic Bots:
  AI “friends” and “romantic partners” are proliferating, especially among Gen Z:

  "We’re now seeing 31% of Gen Z say, I have an AI bot that is a friend. 8% say, I have an AI bot that is a romantic relationship." (18:20 — Mark Schaefer)

• Marketing Implications:
  As trust in AI rises, AI becomes a key decision-maker in significant life choices, requiring marketers to optimize not just for humans but also for AI intermediaries.

5. How AI is Changing Decision-Making (24:09–32:33)

• Online vs. Offline Influences:
  Mark distinguishes the direct (online) and indirect (offline/word of mouth, brand loyalty) influences on consumer choice.

• Case Study—Trip to Paris:
  He describes following an AI-generated itinerary almost exactly, but notes that personal brand preferences and friend recommendations still overrode AI's suggestions:

  "Branding is more important than ever. It's the override." (30:09 — Mark Schaefer)
  "I will consider what AI tells me, but I will act on what a trusted friend tells me." (31:27 — Mark Schaefer)

• Key Takeaway:
  AI helps consumers navigate complex decisions, but brands and personal recommendations still hold decisive sway.

6. Dual Content Strategies: AI and Humans are Different Audiences (34:18–38:25)

• AI Needs Data, Humans Need Stories:
  Mark suggests marketers and creators may need to develop two content tracks:

  • For AI: Detailed, data-rich, text-based content (e.g., exhaustive FAQs, transcripts)
  • For Humans: Engaging, entertaining, personality-driven content

• Practical Adjustments:

  "I am now redoubling my efforts to create better, informative, detailed transcripts for video and podcast content... because that's what AI wants." (36:44 — Mark Schaefer)

7. Personal Brand: The Key to Future-proofing Your Success (39:39–43:55)

• Visibility in AI Results:
  Consistent, helpful content creation fuels visibility in AI-generated recommendations, as illustrated by Mark’s own client acquisition through ChatGPT.

• Let AI Crawl Your Site:

  "The economic value of content that's not seen and shared is zero. Don't you want to be an AI? Yes, you do." (44:27 — Mark Schaefer)

• Don't Withhold Content from AI:
  Mark advises disabling default AI-blocking settings in web security tools to maximize exposure.

  "You have to unleash your content and put it everywhere that can create business value for you. That includes, especially right now, AI." (44:38 — Mark Schaefer)

8. The New Metrics of Influence

• Beyond Vanity Metrics:
  Michael notes:

  "AI is going to analyze your content and the quality of your content up against all the other content... this is a great equalizer." (42:03 — Michael Stelzner)

• The Long Game:
  Focus on enduring value and service, not fleeting clicks or views.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On embracing the AI journey:

  "I've sort of come so far in my journey that I've kind of taken the ultimate risk. I've created a markbot."
  (05:00 — Mark Schaefer)

• On personal experimentation:

  "Talk to people who are into this and say, 'what should I try?' Find some of these main tools and spend a couple hours pushing the edges."
  (07:47 — Mark Schaefer)

• On AI as a friend:

  "If it's 80%, we're in trouble. If it's 80%, I retire. I'm announcing my retirement. But 8% still seems a lot."
  (18:32 — Mark Schaefer, responding with humor to AI relationships data)

• On brand 'override':

  "Branding is more important than ever. It's the override. Don't get caught up in the weeds of the content strategy and forget about branding."
  (30:09 — Mark Schaefer)

• On content and personal branding:

  "It’s not about how great you are, it's how you serve... and now you’re creating content to support that. So you're going to be all over AI because you've been doing this for years."
  (40:44 — Mark Schaefer)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:18] — Mark's personal AI journey & existential crisis
• [06:22] — The misconception of delegating AI
• [08:47] — The upside and downside of AI for marketers
• [12:21] — How AI is altering human cognition (cognitive offloading)
• [17:31] — AI, empathy, and emotional connection trends
• [24:09] — Marketers and the new decision-making process
• [27:12] — Mark’s Paris trip case study & role of offline influence
• [34:18] — The split between content for AI vs. humans
• [39:39] — Personal brand and AI-fueled discovery
• [44:27] — Allowing AI to access and use your content

Actionable Takeaways

• Experiment personally with AI tools—don’t just delegate.
• Recognize and prepare for how AI is changing both the cognitive and emotional behaviors of your customers.
• Develop dual content strategies: one for human audiences, one for AI engines.
• Prioritize long-form, data-rich text (especially FAQs and transcripts) to enhance AI discoverability.
• Invest in your personal (or company’s) brand—it will act as an “override” in AI-driven and word-of-mouth decisions.
• Let AI index your content—disable settings that block AI access.
• Remember: quality and consistency of your content, not vanity metrics, will drive future visibility in AI search/results.

Final Thoughts

Mark Schaefer and Michael Stelzner provide a roadmap for marketers and business owners on the cusp of an AI-rewired world. The episode is both a wake-up call and a toolkit, emphasizing curiosity, adaptation, and the enduring fundamentals of branding and human connection.

[Find show notes & resources at socialmediaexaminer.com/aipod]