“You have it easily in your power to increase the total of this world’s happiness now. How? By giving a few words of appreciation to someone lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget the kind words you say today tomorrow, but the recipient may cherish them forever.”

Dale Carnegie

November and Thanksgiving are the perfect times to reach out and communicate with those who have impacted our lives in the past and present. In our digital age, many ways of communicating exist, including social media, email, and text. AI (Artificial Intelligence) can make it more difficult since everyone is a prompt away from crafting the perfect message. Ironically, snail mail (a.k.a. United Postal Service is an easy, cost-effective way to communicate gratitude with a handwritten notecard.

Does writing a handwritten note take planning and effort? Absolutely, yes.  However, the person and relationship dividends are priceless. Are handwritten notes perfect? Absolutely not. Handwritten notes are perfectly imperfect. In three sentences, you can express appreciation, reference memory, and have something tangible for the recipient to keep.

Every handwritten note is a souvenir (French verb to remember) for the writer and the recipient. Writing 365 cards in 365 days is my quest for gratitude for 2025. With all of AI’s advances, I cannot share my sincere appreciation and memories or be a tangible keepsake.

One of my most prized possessions is a card I made for my Great Grandmother when I was 5.  I found it when I became the historian for my family.  She died at 87 and died when I was 11. However, she kept it all those years. A card made on notebook paper folded the wrong way, and I did not have blue eyes.  I keep the notecards that are written to me. Many have told me that they keep the handwritten notecards that I write and how my notes touched them.

I admit that I used ChatGPT to explain that handwritten notes are unique and can’t be replicated.    

From ChatGPT

Essentially, a handwritten note lets the recipient know that you are thinking of them, that they are important, and that you care about their well-being. Secondly, it requires your full and undivided attention, and it takes time to give it a personal touch.

AI can indeed influence the content of a handwritten note, though it typically works behind the scenes. While AI can enhance or facilitate the process, the emotional impact of a handwritten note still comes from the human element—choosing to send the note and personalizing its content.

Here are some ways AI might be involved:

1. Content Suggestions: AI can help draft or suggest thoughtful messages, particularly if the sender struggles with expressing themselves. For example, AI-powered writing tools or assistants can generate phrases, prompts, or entire messages tailored to specific situations, such as birthdays, thank-you notes, or condolences.
2. Personalization: AI can help personalize notes by analyzing data about the recipient, such as their preferences, past interactions, or shared experiences. This can help the sender craft a more meaningful message.
3. Handwriting Simulation: AI can also simulate handwriting styles. Some services allow users to type their message, and then AI-driven tools transform it into handwriting that appears more personal and authentic, though it isn’t truly handwritten.
4. Grammar and Style: AI-powered tools like Grammarly can help proofread and improve the tone or flow of the message, ensuring that it is well-written and coherent.

Differences between AI and the human element lie in authenticity, emotion, and intent. Here’s how they differ in specific aspects:

1. Creativity and Emotion:

• AI: AI can generate text, mimic styles, and produce content that appears human-like, but it needs more true understanding, emotions, and lived experiences. It analyzes patterns and produces responses based on data, but it doesn’t experience feelings or empathy. Algorithms and training on vast amounts of data drive AI’s creativity.
• Human Element: Humans create from personal experience, emotions, and unique worldviews. When a human writes something, it often carries personal insights, emotional depth, and spontaneity that stem from real-life experiences. The intention behind human expression adds a layer of meaning that AI can mimic but not generate.

2. Intent and Personal Connection:

• AI: AI responds based on patterns and input data but doesn’t have personal relationships or emotional investment. It can simulate care and connection, but it doesn’t honestly “care.” The intent behind AI-generated content is utilitarian, driven by efficiency, not personal connection.
• Human Element: When a human reaches out, whether through a handwritten note or conversation, there’s genuine intent and a personal connection. Human interaction involves empathy, understanding, and emotional resonance. A handwritten note from a person shows thoughtfulness, effort, and care that go beyond the content—it reflects the person’s desire to connect.

3. Authenticity and Imperfection:

• AI aims for precision and can create nearly flawless, polished messages. However, this perfection can sometimes feel impersonal or mechanical. Although the content it produces can be accurate, it lacks the small, unique imperfections that often make human communication feel authentic.
• Human Element: Human communication is filled with nuance, subtle imperfections, and individual quirks—slightly messy handwriting, an unintended pause, or a personal anecdote. These imperfections are part of what makes human interaction feel genuine and relatable.

4. Context and Depth of Understanding:

• AI: AI can quickly process vast amounts of information and respond based on learned patterns, but it lacks proper comprehension. It doesn’t experience life, culture, or context as humans do. AI might miss a conversation or note’s deeper emotional, cultural, or situational nuances.
• Human Element: Humans communicate through lived experience, cultural context, and emotional awareness. A human’s understanding of the world is shaped by personal experiences, relationships, and emotions, making human-generated content often more profoundly layered and contextually rich.

5. Motivation and Effort:

• AI: AI operates based on instructions and input without any personal motivation. Its effort is driven by algorithms and a pre-set goal to optimize output, but it doesn’t feel satisfaction or dedication in its tasks.
• Human Element: Humans choose to invest time and effort, especially when it comes to meaningful gestures like writing a handwritten note. The personal effort, care, and attention a human puts into such a task make it special, signaling that they value the recipient.

In summary, AI can assist, automate, and simulate aspects of human communication, but it needs more emotional depth, authenticity, and genuine intent to define the human element. The human touch carries real experiences, emotions, and connections that AI can mimic but never truly replicate.

Sylpro Productions began with Sylvia France, and the goal was to work with Apple in Silicon Valley. Not only did she realize that goal, but she also launched new products and industry categories, including personal digital navigation and streaming television program guides. In addition to working with several startups, our client roster includes The Home Depot, Union Pacific, Verizon, and Right at Home. To learn more, contact me at sylvia@sylproproductions.