#155 The Problem With AI In Communities
This week we were facilitating a community event for a client's community when a member suggested that we create an AI clone of the founder that they could "talk to" inside the community experience...
And the more I sit with it, the more uncomfortable I become with the idea.
Not because I’m anti-AI. I’m actually very optimistic about AI when it comes to community businesses. I think there are incredible opportunities ahead for operational support, personalization, faster implementation, and helping members get results quicker.
But I think we’re about to cross a line where community builders accidentally design the humanity out of their communities in the name of innovation. And I think that’s a mistake.
Here’s the thing I keep coming back to:
The reason memberships are still working in 2026 is not because people need more information. Information has become infinite.
Your members can open ChatGPT and get an answer instantly. They can search YouTube and find a tutorial in 30 seconds. They can ask Claude to build them a strategy, a meal plan, a content calendar, a launch outline, a workout split, a customer research analysis… whatever.
Content is abundant now... but human connection is scarce.
What makes a membership sticky today is not access to more videos or more answers. It’s the feeling of being surrounded by people who understand what you’re trying to build, people working through similar challenges in real time, people sharing context and nuance and emotional support and perspective that cannot fully be replicated by a machine.
That’s the actual product... and I think some community builders are in danger of forgetting that.
I’m seeing more and more creators experiment with AI versions of themselves inside their memberships. Bots trained on their frameworks, their podcast episodes, their intellectual property, their “brain.”
On paper, I understand the appeal. It sounds scalable, innovative, and helpful. And all of my clients want more time back (who doesn't?).
But if the entire purpose of your community is connection, then replacing conversation with AI starts to undermine the very thing members came for in the first place.
Now, this does not mean I think AI has no place in memberships.
I actually think AI is incredibly powerful when it helps improve the member experience behind the scenes.
I’m excited about AI helping community managers analyze trends faster so they spend less time manually reading hundreds of posts and more time actually facilitating conversations.
I’m excited about AI helping identify member pain points, surfacing common themes, recommending connections between members, helping people find relevant resources faster, or giving members implementation tools that reduce time-to-value.
That’s different. Those use cases support the human experience instead of replacing it, and I think that distinction matters more than people realize.
Because right now, a lot of businesses are adding AI simply because they feel pressure to say they’re using AI.
Not because it genuinely improves the experience.
And I think community builders need to be incredibly thoughtful about this moment because the design decisions we make right now are going to shape the emotional texture of online communities over the next few years.
I want you to use these filters for every AI decision you make for your community experience moving forward:
Does this create a better member experience?
Does it help members get results faster?
Does it create more connection between members instead of less?
Does it encourage critical thinking and collaboration instead of dependency?
Does it make the experience feel more human or less human?
The future of community is not anti-AI, but I'm confident the future of community is not replacing humans with bots and calling it innovation.
I think the communities that win are going to be the ones that use AI to amplify human connection, not compete with it.
A few things I’d think about this week if you’re experimenting with AI inside your membership:
Separate operational AI from relational AI – Using AI to support moderation, summarize trends, surface resources, or improve workflows is very different from replacing founder or member conversations.
Audit what actually makes your membership valuable – If your members can get the same experience from a chatbot, your product probably relies too heavily on information instead of transformation and connection.
Protect the human moments inside your community – The conversations, vulnerability, accountability, nuance, and relationships are the value now. Design for more of those, not fewer.
Don’t add AI just because it sounds innovative – Every new feature changes the emotional experience of your community. Make sure the technology is serving the mission instead of distracting from it.
Curious where you land on this one because I know it’s a spicy take.
I have a feeling we’re all going to keep evolving our opinions about AI over the next few years (months?) as the technology changes and new use cases emerge… but right now, this is the line I keep coming back to:
The power of community-driven products has always been the people.
Loved this? Check out this episode of the podcast where I go deeper – it’s only 8 mins!