The Email Sound Booth with Liz Wilcox

Episode 168: Addressing the AI Elephant in the Room
Date: October 29, 2025
Host: Liz Wilcox

Episode Overview

In this candid and solo episode, Liz Wilcox takes on the “AI elephant in the room,” sharing her personal experiences and philosophy around using AI in email marketing. With her trademark humor and realness, she explores the balance between leveraging technology and maintaining genuine human connection with your audience. Liz’s message: AI can help, but it shouldn’t do all the work—especially if you want to keep your email list profitable and personal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AI is Here, But It Should Work For Us—Not Replace Us

• Opening thoughts:
  • Liz acknowledges the permanence of AI and frames it as a tool meant to serve our lives, not dictate them.
  • “AI is meant to change our lives. We aren't meant to have to change our lives for it, like it changes our life. We don't change our life for it.” (00:10)
  • She admits to limited personal use of AI, usually relying on her assistant Patricia for things like podcast descriptions or idea generation.

2. How Liz Uses AI (And How She Doesn’t)

• She shares a story from summer 2025, when she used AI to help remix previously written email sequences while on a writing retreat.
  • “I did not ask ChatGPT to write me any freaking emails. I asked them to duplicate the emails I already wrote.” (02:42)
• Emphasizes that AI, for her, is a tool for idea generation or restructuring existing content, not for writing emails from scratch.

3. The Value of Human-to-Human Connection

• Liz warns against letting AI take over email writing, arguing it disrupts genuine communication with your list.
  • “Now more than ever, I feel like we just need that human to human connection. … If you’re using AI to write your emails, you’re missing out on that.” (03:35)
• Lightheartedly talks about noticing when content or videos are “too AI,” which feels inauthentic and can lead to burnout from digital content.

4. The Importance of Struggle and Deep Work in Business

• She encourages listeners to embrace the challenge of writing emails themselves, suggesting that struggle is part of skill-building and resilience as a business owner.
  • “I invite you to struggle with writing emails. … When you’re using AI to write your emails, I really feel like you’re missing out on some deep work.” (05:03)
• She’s honest about what comes easy and what doesn’t in her own business, noting that even email writing took effort to master nuances like audience engagement.

5. AI as a Support, Not a Substitute

• Liz reiterates that AI is great for prompting ideas (“use the AI to come up with ideas” at 07:11) but insists on building the craft of writing yourself.
• Joins her $9 newsletter membership as an alternative support system for those who want human input.

6. Human-Enhanced AI: Chick-fil-A vs. McDonald’s Story

• Compares the use of AI at McDonald’s (eliminating human touch with kiosks) versus Chick-fil-A (equipping staff with AI-driven tools to enhance service).
  • “Chick Fil A does the same thing [as McDonald’s], except they didn’t get rid of the server, the person taking your order. They equipped them with the AI.” (08:20)
• Highlights Chick-fil-A’s superior performance to underscore her point about AI supporting—not replacing—human interaction.

7. Nuanced Advice for Neurodivergent Listeners

• Liz acknowledges that her advice to “struggle” productively might not apply equally to everyone.
  • “If you feel like you have some neurodivergency and you feel like this doesn't apply to you, listen, I'm not your mama. I don't know you. I don't know your capacity.” (10:52)
• She encourages everyone to challenge themselves within their own capacity.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Liz on authenticity:
  “It feels like crap when you get a bunch of AI generated content, doesn’t it? … Doesn’t that just burn out your brain more than the other stuff?” (04:06)
• On skill-building:
  “You gotta build the skill. You have to build a lot of new skills. You have to build a lot of resilience so that you don’t waver when crap hits the fan.” (07:42)
• On tech and humanity:
  “They [Chick-fil-A] use the technology to enhance the customer experience, to enhance the way you interact with the humans. Unlike McDonald’s, who eliminated the human experience.” (09:45)
• Her signature humor shines through:
  “Maybe I’m delusional. Actually, I’m wearing a shirt today that says delulu.” (03:08)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:10: Framing AI as a tool to help, not control our lives
• 02:42: Liz’s personal workflow with AI for email writing
• 03:35: The need for authentic, human connection in emails
• 04:40: Discussion of AI-generated content “burnout” and authenticity
• 05:03: Embracing the difficulty and growth in writing emails
• 08:20: Chick-fil-A vs. McDonalds: AI enhancing or replacing humans
• 10:52: Nuanced take for neurodivergent business owners

Tone and Language

• Liz’s tone is relaxed, informal, humorous, and deeply personal. She’s transparent about her own practices (“I don’t edit these,” “I put on a silly shirt and a silly headband to try to feel better”) and uses conversational asides to keep listeners engaged.

Takeaway

Liz urges online business owners and email marketers to see AI as a supportive tool—not a replacement for authentic, human-driven work. She champions struggling through the hard parts of email writing as vital for skill and business growth, and reminds everyone to prioritize real connections with their audience.

Closing Encouragement

• “I invite you to challenge yourself when it comes to your email marketing, to really try to truly connect with your people by using your voice.” (11:36)
• Invites listeners to join her membership for support and the “human touch.”

End of summary.