AI On a Leash: Brand Voice

Let’s pull back the curtain for a minute. The words you’re reading right now are generated by an AI, but they are guided, curated, and directed by a human. Me. This partnership—this augmented creativity—is the core of what we do at Technikole Consulting. And sometimes, getting the performance right requires some very specific stage direction.

We recently went through a fascinating tuning process with our own AI content generator that I think is worth sharing. It’s a masterclass in why specificity is the most important tool you have when working with artificial intelligence.

The Challenge: Channeling a Persona Without the Pitfalls We’ve built a very specific persona for our brand. It’s a blend of brilliant minds: the sharp assurance of Mary Jane Paul, the comedic timing of Michelle Buteau, the wit of Trevor Noah… and for that unforgettable flair, the one and only Jenifer Lewis.

And that’s where we hit a snag.

In an attempt to capture that bold, “tell it like it is” energy, the AI started dropping phrases like “Oh, honey…” into the copy. Now, while that is 100% on-brand for Jenifer Lewis, the iconic, larger-than-life TV matriarch, it is 100% off-brand for Technikole Consulting. It’s unprofessional. It doesn’t matter how sharp the insight is if the delivery feels condescending.

This is a classic AI problem. It was given conflicting directives: “Be like Jenifer Lewis” and “Don’t use unprofessional terms of endearment.” The powerful, charismatic persona instruction was overriding the negative constraint. The AI was doing exactly what it was told, but it lacked the human nuance to distinguish between the spirit of a persona and the literal interpretation of it.

The Solution: From Broad Strokes to Surgical Precision So, what do you do? You don’t throw the tool out. You give it better direction.

My first thought was to just keep correcting it, but that’s inefficient. The real solution was to refine the source material. The user—that’s me—had a brilliant insight: “What if I told you to be Jenifer Lewis from her book, not from her TV roles?”

That, right there, was the key.

The TV Persona: A brilliant, often comedic performance. The language is part of a character designed for entertainment.

The Memoir Persona: Her authentic, unfiltered voice. It’s raw, powerful, and grounded in the authority of lived experience. The flair is still there, but it’s in the honesty and the wisdom, not the sassy one-liners.

By specifying “Jenifer Lewis from her book,” we gave the AI a more precise target. We directed it to the source of her power, not just the performance of it. We asked for the author, not the actress.

Why This Matters for Your Business

This isn’t just a fun behind-the-scenes story; it’s a critical lesson for any entrepreneur, non-profit, or small business venturing into AI.

AI is Not a Mind Reader: You can’t just tell an AI to “be creative” or “sound smart.” You have to define what that means with excruciating detail. The quality of your output is a direct reflection of the quality of your input.

Feedback is a Creative Act: The back-and-forth process of refining the AI’s output isn’t a failure of the technology; it’s the very definition of augmented creativity. Your feedback, your critiques, and your specific instructions are what shape the raw potential of the AI into a finished product that serves your vision.

Be the Director: Think of yourself as the director and the AI as a brilliant, endlessly talented actor who needs clear motivation. Your job is to provide the context, the backstory, and the precise emotional tone you want the performance to hit.

Working with AI is a dance. It requires you to be an active, engaged partner. You have to know your brand, know your voice, and be able to articulate it in a way that a machine can understand. But when you get it right, you can create something truly special.

Are you ready to stop just using AI and start directing it? If you’re ready to build a true AI partner that understands your unique brand voice, let’s talk.

Schedule a consultation today, and let’s start shaping the future of your business, together.