Leadership Story Talks | Jerome & Julienne Discuss What AI Gets Right — and What It Can’t Replace

In this debrief episode of Leadership Story Talks, Jerome and Julienne reflect on a striking insight from Gabrielle Dolan, author of Story Intelligence: when people compared AI-generated stories with human ones, they consistently found the AI stories technically strong—but noticeably lacking something essential. What was missing wasn’t structure or clarity, but the feeling that the story was real.

That observation becomes the foundation for a deeper conversation about authenticity, instinct, and why human presence still matters—even as AI becomes more capable and more accessible.

Jerome and Julienne explore how audiences intuitively sense when a story is disconnected from lived experience, and why that subtle gap often determines whether a message lands or falls flat.

You’ll Hear:

• Why We Instinctively Sense What’s Missing — Julienne reflects on our deeply human ability to detect when something lacks real emotional presence, and how that instinct shapes trust and connection.
• The Risk of Letting Tools Speak for You — Jerome explains why outsourcing your story—whether to AI, slides, or templates—can result in something accurate but incomplete, where your true voice never fully shows up.
• From Death by PowerPoint to Déjà Vu by AI — A timely comparison between early excitement around presentation tools and today’s enthusiasm for AI, and how over-reliance can quietly erase the human thread.
• AI as Support, Not Substitute — Building on Gabrielle Dolan’s perspective, the hosts emphasize using AI as a collaborator or sounding board—not the storyteller itself.
• Where Authenticity Lives in the Body — Julienne shares a vivid leadership observation: how people physically change when they speak from something that truly matters to them—and why that energy can’t be manufactured.
• Why Even Polished Messages Can Fall Flat — Jerome reflects on why rehearsal and preparation aren’t enough if personal experience is missing, and how small moments of lived truth make ideas memorable.

This debrief is a reminder that while storytelling tools evolve, the core of storytelling does not. Audiences don’t connect to perfection—they connect to presence. And no matter how advanced the technology, the story still needs a human at the center.

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Learn more about how to leverage Narativ’s storytelling method for your pitch and sales team: Download our free e-book, or you’re welcome to schedule a free 15-minute call with Jerome.

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