--- title: You + buyer knowledge x AI > them x AI description: I always advise people who panic about any sort of marketing challenge to bring it back to a deep understand your buyers and their problems image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/ai_marketing_2x1.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/you-buyer-knowledge-x-ai-them-x-ai#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # You + buyer knowledge x AI > them x AI February 17th, 2026 2 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai_marketing_2x1.jpg?width=1536&height=768&name=ai_marketing_2x1.jpg) ![ai_marketing_2x1](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai_marketing_2x1.jpg?width=450&height=225&name=ai_marketing_2x1.jpg)Perhaps you’ve read Matt Shumer’s recent viral LinkedIn article [*Something Big Is Happening*](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/something-big-happening-matt-shumer-so5he/) about the rapid rise of AI in white-collar work. If not, you should. Matt is VC focused on AI and the CEO of an AI company. His post sounds an alarm for all knowledge workers. Matt says: “I know [AI] isn't a fad. The technology works, it improves predictably, and the richest institutions in history are committing trillions to it.” Matt also says:  “I am no longer needed for the actual technical work of my job.” Much of the post is scary for all of us who earn our livelihoods from knowledge work.  Yes, but… I always advise people who panic about any sort of marketing challenge to bring it back to your audience. If you deeply understand your buyers and their problems and if your knowledge of buyers is better than the competitors, you win.   ## The antidote to marketing AI fear  If Matt's article was unsettling or if you already had a fear of AI, I encourage you to embrace the fear and always remember this formula: You + buyer knowledge x AI > them x AI. One of Matt’s lines that struck me is this one: “If you've always wanted to write a book but couldn't find the time or struggled with the writing, you can work with AI to get it done.” Well, yes... AI can be an amazing writing partner. I’m using my own AI chatbot right now to help me create The Fandom Playbook which will be published by Entrepreneur Press in October. My AI chatbot, developed by [Cone.ai ](https://cone.ai)has been fine-tuned on twenty years of my blog posts, several books, transcripts of speeches and more. I can ask it to help me with my writing and it is a wonderful writing partner. But it's based on my work.  That’s way different than asking an LLM AI like ChatGPT to create a book from public internet data, which is what many people are doing. In fact, so many are doing this that Amazon KDP, the self-publishing tool to create a book to be published and sold via Amazon, has created limits.  Industry sources say the limit is three books per day per author. The official KDP terms say: “To ensure a positive experience for all authors, we limit the number of titles you can create at the same time to 10 per book format each week.” Yes, AI is a big help in my writing process. But it doesn’t write for me. My expertise is still required to understand my readers, to create a unique take on my topic, and especially, to uncover interesting and never told stories of success that I can share to illustrate the ideas. Several of my friends have written great follow-ups to Matt’s article. If you want to dig into these ideas, you should read them too: Ann Handley: [*Something Messy Is Happening: On AI, Panic, and Asking Better Questions*](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/something-messy-happening-ai-panic-asking-better-ann-handley-ywz1e/) Chris Penn: [“Stop panicking. Start thinking.”](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cspenn_ai-generativeai-genai-activity-7428096887196438528-Ibw0) Disclosure: I am an advisor to Cone.ai Image Prompt: “Please create an image in landscape format to illustrate a blog post. The post is a rebuttal to fear of AI. In it, I argue that smart marketers are still needed in a world of AI, especially because of their understanding of an audience and buyers. Create a photo-realistic image of a corporate conference room with people mildly panicked about AI terms written on a white board. You can see over the shoulder of one person and on their computer is the phrase "buyer persona research". [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Marketing ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/marketing) [ Research and Analysis ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/research-and-analysis) [ Artificial Intelligence ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/artificial-intelligence) [ Fandom Playbook ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/fandom-playbook) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Fanocracy%202e.jpg?width=1500&height=841&name=Fanocracy%202e.jpg) ### New 2nd Edition of Fanocracy Publishes Today: Your Human Connection in a Polarized, Noisy World July 14th, 2026|2 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/new-2nd-edition-of-fanocracy-publishes-today-your-human-connection-in-a-polarized-noisy-world) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bunnies%20and%20bees.jpg?width=1500&height=823&name=bunnies%20and%20bees.jpg) ### Bunnies and Bees 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