The Human Premium: Substack, AI, and the Next Era of Creative Distinction

AI won’t replace creators, it reveals them. On Substack, the future isn’t AI vs. human but a premium on authorship, clarity, and trust in every word we choose.

SOURCE: The Substack AI Report

AI is no longer knocking politely at the door of creative labor; it’s sprinted through it, set up a desk, and is now rearranging the furniture. The Substack AI Report, which surveyed over 2,000 publishers, confirms what many of us already feel in our bones: we are no longer working before AI, or even with AI. We are working through it.

The fractures in how creators engage with these tools, those who embrace them, those who reject them, and those who remain uncertain, are not just about technology. They’re about identity, authorship, and trust.

AI Use Is Practical, Not Theatrical

Despite public debates fixated on existential threats and machine-written novels, Substack creators are using AI not to replace themselves, but to support themselves. Forty-five percent of respondents use AI, primarily for productivity, research, and proofreading. Not for generating entire essays. Not for simulating Hemingway. They use it to stay focused, on track, and mentally alert…