Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing efficiency in corporate communication, but it encounters a fundamental barrier: a lack of taste and a unique point of view. Austin Roth-Eagle, head of the AI Acceleration Office at Cisco, warns that without human judgment, AI produces only low-quality content, for which the term "AI slop" has been coined in the industry.
Roth-Eagle, who previously served as a communications strategist for CEOs at Cisco and VMware, sees AI's main benefit in automating routine processes. According to him, a well-configured workflow can shorten the path from idea to finished format, but text creation itself fails without human input.
“AI lacks taste. You can ask it to write a compelling blog about technology, and you'll get one of the worst pieces of writing you've ever seen,”
states Roth-Eagle, adding that the human voice remains the most important element that cannot be fully replaced.
The key to successful AI utilization, according to the expert, is not the final review of the finished text, but breaking down the work into small, specific steps. Instead of generating entire articles with a single command, he recommends involving AI in research, formatting, or filling in gaps in an outline, while the original idea and point of view must come from a human. This approach requires continuous oversight at every stage of the process, not just at the final output.
For aspiring communication professionals, Roth-Eagle sees the future in a combination of two skills: deep subject matter expertise and technical proficiency in operating AI tools.
“People who understand both will thrive. AI models lack taste and judgment—the ability to know what is good, average, and bad—and it’s possible they never will,” he adds.
The foundation of success is thus building one's own expertise, which will enable effective guidance of artificial intelligence.
In his role at Cisco, Roth-Eagle focuses on scaling AI processes across the entire organization. He emphasizes that data and analytics play a key role in communication because they are more persuasive to company leadership than creative strategy alone. His own journey into AI began with studying business analytics around the time ChatGPT was released, allowing him to connect traditional storytelling with technical innovations.