Each morning, my daughter and I drive to school. On days when we're not solving the world's problems, music fills our car.

This morning, our soundtrack was interrupted. A morning show host delivered what could only be described as a generic Seinfeld bit.

"What's the deal with _______?"

When the commercials finally played, we both felt relief. We might get one more song before reaching school.

Then my daughter turned to me and asked, "Was that AI?"

Her question revealed something important.

She wasn't literally asking if the voices were computer-generated. She was questioning whether the content deserved our attention.

Emily Bender coined "Stochastic Parrots" to describe how AI generates human-like text without understanding meaning. A simulation of human thought.

I worked in broadcast radio for two decades, and on my way out, noticed something similar happening. Many shows have become simulations of what radio once was.

The black-and-white nature of predictable segments—"War of the Roses," "10 Things About _____," "Is This Normal"—fails to capture how real humans connect.

These formats aren't new. What's new is our awareness of the difference between simulation and authenticity.

Sure, we could have turned on Spotify. But we both love those 10 minutes of surprise, not knowing if we'll hear a terrible song or something transcendent.

In my professional life, I often say we don't need more content. We have enough. What we need is better content, something that creates resonance with your audience.

On this particular morning, you could have simply played another song.

And perhaps that's the lesson for all creators: sometimes the best thing you can offer isn't more talking, but the space for something meaningful to happen.