🚀 Community Building in the Age of AI: Are We More Connected or Just Automated?
Hey PH Community Friends! đź‘‹
With so many AI-driven tools reshaping how communities are formed, grown, and managed, I’ve been thinking a lot about what “community” truly means today.
I've noticed two trends happening simultaneously:
Automation is helping creators scale communities faster, with AI chatbots, moderation tools, auto-replies, and automated emails.
But, there’s also a craving for authentic human interaction — live streams, real-time discussions, personalized outreach, and genuine conversations.
I’d love your take:
Has AI changed how you build or manage your community? If yes, how?
Do you find automated community interactions helpful, or do they miss the mark?
What’s been your most effective strategy to keep your community engaged and authentic?
Really curious to hear from fellow makers, community managers, content creators, and startup founders here — let’s learn from each other!
Drop your thoughts below 👇
— Austin
Replies
My answer is: We are not moving toward automation; we are using automation to empower ourselves to build closer connections “manually.”
🤖AI cannot detect the frustration revealed between the lines of a member's words, but our empathetic “Aha!” moments are the source of community cohesion. ❤️
Hey Austin, I would say it is good to collaborate with AI, but at the same time, review what it does because it can ban people sometimes by mistake, which can damage the trust in the community. I always appreciate when someone takes the time and lead a conversation with me like a real person.
For now, I use AI only for better formulation of my thoughts :)
I would say AI has helped boost productivity when it comes to community engagement for sure. But it has not reached a level yet that it can take care of all the area of community engagement.
Plus I have seen alot of people have stopped been creative and use AI for their creative thinking. So I would say AI is here to boost our skills not replace anyone.
I don't think it's a black-and-white issue like everyone else, and I think it's good to use AI where operators can, depending on their capabilities, because it allows them to do the things that humans really need to do, and do them well, with more heart!