Robots Can't Think. Yet.

May 22, 2025

AI is incredible. I use it every day. To shape content, explore creative territories, test messaging, and generate design options. It’s a powerful tool. But there’s one thing it can’t do. It can’t think (yet). Not the way we need it to. AI doesn’t have instincts. It doesn’t feel a client’s ambition, or challenge assumptions in the room. And it doesn’t know what matters to your audience, unless someone tells it.

That’s why my approach to brand strategy always starts with something more fundamental – person-to-person collaboration. From that comes discovery and the beginning of the journey to find that unique voice that AI can amplify.

The Illusion of Intelligence

AI can sound clever. It can mimic brand speak and stitch together content that looks polished. But at its core, it’s still predictive. It’s trained on the past, not tuned to your future. It’s a mirror, not a compass.

That’s where we come in.

Our job as brand strategists is to listen, challenge, and co-create. We work closely with our clients to find the brand's true edge. The thing that sets it apart. The thing the market actually cares about.

Because AI can only draw on what already exists, it can’t find that unique positioning. That thing that makes you, you. Only people can, together.

There are no original ideas

This famous viewpoint of Mark Twain’s hypothesises that there are no original ideas and that all ideas are a re-imagining of what has come before. Perhaps he’s right. But the reimagining required to develop a differentiating brand platform must still start with people. The most powerful brand platforms don’t come from templates or trend reports. They come from conversation and exploration – the discovery of an emotive engaging position to develop from.

That’s not something you brief ChatGPT to figure out.

The right brand positioning is more than just a smart line, it’s a strategic tool. It influences how your team sells, markets, innovates, and hires. It gives the business a north star. When you get that right, then AI becomes a game changer. It can help you scale the message, generate consistent content, test creative variations, and move faster than ever before.

But it still needs a foundation, one built on human insight and mutual understanding.

How this affects how I work

I believe in the power of human + machine, but in that order.

I partner closely with B2B organisations to develop bold, defensible brand strategy. I don’t just drop in a tagline and leave. I immerse myself in my clients’ business, I question and I bring an independent objective viewpoint. I then develop a strong strategic platform where AI can really make the difference. Whether it is speed to market, cost efficiency or maximising the volume of content you can produce, this is where the AI advantage comes into play. Use it to scale execution across campaigns, content, internal comms, and design systems, you name it. But the value TBC (Tim Brown Consulting) brings starts long before that.

Think Together, Then Scale

Robots can’t think. Not yet.

The brands that win today aren’t choosing between human or machine, they’re choosing which to use, and when. With TBC, I bring the creative and strategic brains to help B2B businesses find their voice, then use AI to help amplify it.

Strategy still starts with people, good strategy leads to success and growth. And that leads to celebration. I like to celebrate with a beer and the people I got there with. And much like thinking, robots can’t drink. Not yet.