Byte-Size: Alex & Justin on brand voice in an AI world

Here's another of our Byte-Size episodes! These are little chats between the team at Shaped By, sometimes about creativity in B2B, sometimes about something completely different.

In this one, Alex Waite (Strategy Director) sits down with Justin Ballantine (Associate Creative Director, Messaging) to talk brand voice in an AI-saturated world.

They cover where AI helps and where it falls short. Why human nuance still matters. And how brands can keep their voice distinct when everyone’s automating everything.

They don’t pretend to have all the answers, but it’s an honest take on the tension between speed, scale and soul.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
00:47 – What AI’s good at (and what it’s not)
01:28 – Welcome JB
02:52 – What is brand voice, anyway?
05:49 – How AI is shifting the game
09:01 – The risks of removing the human
12:13 – Where this might be heading
15:05 – Why authenticity isn’t optional
16:09 – Audience > output
16:20 – Emotion, intent, and context
16:56 – A quiet comeback for long-form?
18:09 – Storytelling and the limits of machines
20:31 – Why your brand still needs you
21:48 – Keeping creativity alive
25:49 – Dodging the content fatigue trap
26:53 – Wrapping up: trust, tone, and the human edge

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