AI’s Perfection Paradox: Authenticity Is the New Gold

Something perfectly written used to be great. It showed attention to details, consistency, and discipline. You could work under pressure, you took the time to check and validate to build that 10/10 project. It didn’t matter if it was a creative project, an article, or just a process. Perfectionism was a synonym of effort, detail, and quality, and something we all wanted. But that is part of the past.

That idea of perfection made sense in a world where we went through something to get there. When effort was visible, and quality meant someone invested in the process. But now that almost anyone can create something “perfect enough” in seconds with AI, the value of perfectionism just changed.

We know we can come up with something solid in seconds. Not great, but good enough. The problem is, when everyone can do that, what happens when everything starts to look the same?

Collapse of Identity in the Job Market

We can get something decent in seconds. From applying to a job to building a resume that adapts to what the company needs, all in just minutes. We can copy-paste a LinkedIn profile and ask what to say to build empathy with the interviewer. Sounds creepy, but that is what is happening right now.

We can build a perfect follow-up message, a "thanks for the offer," or a welcoming note when joining the team. And regardless of what you do, you’ll keep using it in your day to day. Is that bad? Not at all. What’s more, AI brings amazing tools that help us in many ways. It saves time, finds better info, makes things faster.

The thing is, as we’re all using the same tools to do the same things, and trying to do them as well as possible, we all end up looking like the same person. And for some reason, that’s causing more rejection than ever.

Failing as Authenticity

If everyone builds something good, appropriate, but the same as someone else’s, there’s no differentiator. You become just another one.

Now that we can all do it, and faster, the effect that perfectionism used to have is starting to flip. Why? First, it feels harder to connect with something that wasn’t really made by someone. Second, we’re all doing it, and we all know how it’s done.

So instead of something perfect showing your amazing skills, now it shows you are lazy, because what you do looks like many other things others are doing.

We all use AI, but it can make you look smarter or less intelligent than you actually are, depending on how you use it. So it looks like the trust game in the job market now is one in which, suddenly, not being perfect but being different is valuable.

Welcome to the Trust Economy

What makes people trust? It’s not about being fast and perfect anymore. It’s about being real. Real means showing how you think, not just what you’ve produced. It means showing your process, not just the perfect outcome. It means having opinions, making decisions, and sometimes, getting it wrong.

That’s why someone who dares to publish a raw idea, give a not-so-polished answer, or even say “I don’t know,” feels more authentic and immediately builds connection and empathy.

Is “failing” the new way of garnering trust? If we start failing, will we build more confidence? Could be contradictory, but not at all. Defining what authenticity means in workplaces is tricky, because we are always acting. It's what people call professionalism.

So it's not about failing. It's about taking the time, creating value, with or without tools, but with ownership.

The New Gold: Judgment

So is AI our enemy? Not at all. It's an amazing tool, but it’s just the what. We are the ones who have to say when and how much.

Even though it might sound obvious, applying judgment has become a challenge with the impact of technology in the last 10 years. When was the last time you weren’t sure about something and took five minutes to think instead of Googling?

The impact of having everything at your fingertips, and having it fast, is damaging something valuable: our judgment. The ability to make good decisions by evaluating options, context, and consequences. Not just following what’s available or easy.

Today, people are tired of perfectionism because it is common. 

Is failing now worthy? Not really, but it shows the same skills perfectionism used to. Before, you took the time to make it perfect. Now, perfection is the easiest thing. So if you take the time to do something by yourself, re-edit something, then that shows commitment.

If now “human made” is worth more, maybe that is the new value we can bring to the table. We know how to build something “perfect.” But within that perfectionism that looks the same and is now boring, maybe we can do something just different.