In a video aired at the public presentation of Writing for Media and Monetising It, the Chairman of LEADERSHIP, Zainab Nda-Isaiah, asked a rhetorical question, “If you don’t use your voice, how will you find it? Finding your voice is not just a task; it’s a journey, a discovery of your unique perspective and style.

I understand that some folks, especially younger ones, are answering this question with a question: why do I need to find my voice when I can use artificial intelligence (AI)?

AI is designed to liberate you from mundane tasks that rely on data, experience, and interaction. This liberation allows you to bring to the table the ingenuity and creativity that machines simply can’t replicate.

It’s already a severe problem, especially in schools: more and more students are outsourcing their assignments and term papers to AI, and teachers are having difficulty separating plagiarised work from the original.

But there’s nothing like the original. And that’s who you are! You would be surprised how much better your final output can be if you practice using your voice and let your work carry your own imprint.

In the pre-AI era, I struggled with a crisis of literary identity. There were so many good writers, each with a voice of their own, but I wanted to be like all of them at once. I wanted to write like Lance Morrow of

One day, I wanted to write like Lance Morrow of TIME magazine and the next, I mimicked the satirical genius of Olatunji Dare or the telling prose of Dan Agbese until I decided to explore my deck.

AI is your maidservant. You cannot be its slave. If you’d like to learn more about how you can find and use your voice, get a copy of my book – and let the journey begin!