Your Voice vs. AI: The Future of Content Creation

Is AI killing authenticity or reshaping it?

Everywhere you look, AI tools are flooding the internet with content.
Most of it sounds the same.

In this episode of Tech It or Leave It, we dive into the controversial question. What happens to human voices when AI can write better, faster, and cheaper?

From the risks of “faking authenticity” to why the real winners will be those who learn to combine AI with lived experience, this conversation is a wake-up call for entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders navigating the future of content.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ Why “AI will replace jobs” is the wrong debate
✅ The difference between authentic voices vs. AI-generated fluff
✅ What every non-technical founder must know about AI and content
✅ The real future of creativity in an AI-driven world
✅ How Cleve AI validated their idea before writing a single line of code
✅ Advice for non-technical founders on validating, funding, and finding the right CTO

👉 Watch the full episode now!

Transcript

We didn't realize there was so much other stuff that goes on in building a tech company. The tech is actually the last thing that you build.

Are people just kind of faking? I just spent the last two months doing absolutely nothing. Ultimately, AI wrote that thing, not me. This AI stuff is ruining the planet. Do you guys fear that this day will come? Most junior programming tasks can be done by AI. Do you think in three years’ time, we will still need content creators?

Our guests today aren't just building yet another AI tool; they are building something that aims to change how we think out loud on the internet. I'm talking to Ashvin and Rashad, the co-founders of Cleve AI, a writing assistant designed to help people express the ideas already in their head.

While most AI tools are busy spitting out generic content, Cleve takes a different approach—helping users turn scattered thoughts, rambles, and voice notes into sharp, personal content that actually sounds like them. Together, they have already grown Cleve AI to 20,000 users across 100 countries, and they are doing it all while building in public and moving fast.

In this episode, we talk about what most AI tools are getting wrong, how Ashvin and Rashad balance chaos, clarity, and speed as co-founders, and what they've learned while building Cleve from scratch.

Ashvin and Rashad, welcome to the show.

Thanks for having us.

Okay, cool. So, we’ve talked a little about Cleve. I understand that you guys previously ran a personal branding agency before Cleve. Let’s talk about that story later. Let’s start off with what Cleve is, what it does, and how you guys are different.

Yeah. So, high level—it’s an AI tool that helps people document their thoughts on the go. Usually, for busy business owners and entrepreneurs, you get content ideas whenever. For example, after a client meeting, when the client asks a good question, you might think, hey, that would be a great thing to post on LinkedIn or X.

We wanted to make it easy for people to capture these ideas quickly in a simple app, and then use AI to turn those rough thoughts into posts that help them stay consistent on social media and build their brand.

So, walk me through that. Basically, I could just record any thought I have and then ask it to generate a LinkedIn post for me?

Essentially, yes. In a nutshell. But it sounds a lot easier than it really is.

It always is, right? Rashad, I’m sure behind the scenes there’s a lot more going on.

Yeah. One of our core focuses is building personalized AI models. It’s not difficult to drop your idea into ChatGPT and get content back. But what’s hard is making sure the model has enough context about you—your goals, your audience, your style—and then writing content that actually reflects you. That’s what makes the content authentic.

So, do you ask for that context directly from users, or just infer it from their notes?

Both. A combination of the two.

Right.

Our idea is that there’s already a lot of information about users online. Instead of having them copy-paste from social media into ChatGPT—which is a hassle—we integrate with their accounts, pull their posts, maybe even run a Google search on their name, and collect everything into a database. That becomes context for content generation.

Right. So you’re essentially stalking the user for them.

Okay, okay. With consent, yes.

So, with consent, they connect their accounts, you pull data, and that informs the model. At the same time, they’re encouraged to jot down their own notes, which also provide context.

Exactly. That way, their authentic ideas get captured too.

So, what if users forget to take notes?

Well, that’s a user problem.

Some users want a brainless content generator—give me 20 posts, I don’t want to do anything. That’s not who we serve. Our users want to build an authentic personal brand. They want a tool that takes their own voice and thoughts and makes content from them, faster.

That’s actually very similar to what we do at Upstack Studio. We help non-technical entrepreneurs and reject those who already have tech teams. It’s about focusing on who you can serve best. You’re doing the same—niching down to people who want to build authentic brands.

So let’s step back. How did you guys meet? How did Cleve come about?

About two years ago, I met Rashad at a farewell dinner for a mutual friend. We followed each other on LinkedIn. Two years later, I saw his post about joining Antler and starting Cleve. He didn’t have a CTO, and the idea was similar to what I wanted to do. So I reached out, we met at a networking event, and that’s how it started.

So you weren’t part of the personal branding agency days?

No, that was with Lizzie, our other co-founder. We started freelancing in university—she was good at design and copywriting, I was good at video editing. We teamed up and built an agency. We created content on LinkedIn and Facebook about marketing and design. Posting what we learned got us clients. Rashad, meanwhile, was freelancing and writing blogs that brought him clients.

That’s why the Cleve idea resonated with you—because once you had more work, you didn’t have time to write anymore.

Exactly.

So why shut down the agency?

At one point, we realized AI could automate much of what we were doing—like transcribing client calls and turning them into posts. Instead of waiting to be disrupted, we decided to disrupt ourselves. Also, I always wanted to work in tech. The agency was a good way to start a business, but Antler gave us a chance to build in tech properly.

Did you raise funding through Antler?

Yes. We went through the 12-week program, pitched, and secured funding.

That’s great. And it gave you structure to learn how to run a tech company.

Exactly. Before that, we just jumped into building—designing in Figma, hiring interns, building straight away. Antler taught us that the tech is the last thing. First comes idea, validation, and business model.

So how did you know there was space for Cleve? There are so many AI tools.

In the beginning, it was frustration with existing tools like ChatGPT and Claude. Too much copy-pasting, too many prompts. That frustration showed us a problem worth solving. You try to hack around it with Notion or custom GPTs, but eventually realize, wait—there’s something here.

Did you compare yourselves to tools like Descript?

Descript focuses more on video editing. Tools like that are transactional. What they lacked was a knowledge base. Without context, the content was always poor—we’d have to rewrite it ourselves. That gap became clear.

Rashad, before Cleve, were you already building with AI?

Yes. My freelancing started because of Gen AI. I wrote tutorials early on, which got popular on Medium. People contacted me to build prototypes—like image generators or Gen AI ideas. I was already building for non-technical founders.

So when you met Ashvin, the idea clicked, and you joined forces. Did you have conflicts as co-founders?

Of course, small ones. We’re very different—Ashvin studied mechanical engineering, I studied computer engineering, Lizzie studied psychology. Different perspectives. But we triangulate and figure out the best option.

Any big fights?

No. Fortunately, no.

So before Cleve, you guys didn’t really work full-time jobs?

Just short internships—three months or so. Otherwise, it was straight into freelancing and business.

That’s brave. How did you navigate building a business with no prior experience?

Mostly learning from podcasts, articles, and talking to founders. We experimented with processes—weekly meetings, standups, etc. My short internship gave me some reference too.

Did you join communities?

Not at first. I didn’t even know they existed. Later on, we discovered there’s actually a strong founder community in KL.

Well, if you want structure, look into EOS—Entrepreneurial Operating System. It’s a great framework. There’s even a book, Traction, which explains how to run your business with EOS. That’s what we use at Upstack Studio.

Alright, let’s go spicy. Do people say Cleve is just ChatGPT with a glow up? How do you counter that?

One of my friends, Joseph, joked I spent two months doing nothing but using ChatGPT. But the reality is, many billion-dollar companies today are built on OpenAI’s APIs. The opportunity isn’t in the models themselves—it’s in solving process gaps. ChatGPT exists, but most businesses don’t know how to apply it. That’s where we come in.

But what if OpenAI builds something similar? Do you fear that day?

That’s not even on my mind. Our focus is building a product that truly helps customers. Maybe when we’re a billion-dollar company, I’ll think differently. Right now, competition isn’t the main concern.

So you’re focused on users, not competitors.

Exactly. And the notes system we’ve built creates stickiness—it’s harder for users to switch once they’ve invested in our workflow.

Fair point. But here’s a common criticism: if AI helps write posts, is that still authentic? Isn’t it faking relatability?

For me, I’ve always struggled with expressing myself in writing. If a journalist helped me express my thoughts, is that inauthentic? I don’t think so. As long as the content reflects what I really think, it’s authentic. Cleve is just a delivery vehicle for my real thoughts.

That’s a strong point. So, what’s one AI myth you wish people would stop repeating?

The water usage debate. People compare a hamburger’s water footprint to a GPT prompt—it’s ridiculous. People don’t see the complexity behind the scenes, and it becomes a lazy argument.

Fair enough. Now, what about AI and jobs? Will it replace people?

I’m excited. AI does more work, I get to chill more. Of course, there are risks, but I’m optimistic.

I think job losses are real, but the bigger problem is lack of adoption. You can’t stop AI’s progress, but you can upskill people. When we hire, we look for people who embrace AI tools—that makes one person as productive as three. The key is adoption and upskilling.

So basically: AI won’t replace you. People who use AI will.

Exactly.

Alright, content creators—will we still need them in three years?

I think you have to look at demand. Some AI-generated content will be useful—like personalized news summaries. But at the end of the day, humans want to connect with humans. Creators who share their unique perspectives and stories will always stand out.

So in the future, it’s not about how well you write—that’s AI’s job—but about your lived experiences, opinions, and perspectives.

Exactly. Your story is yours. AI can polish it, but it can’t live it.

That’s powerful. Now, let’s talk building. Rashad, you recently launched version two. Was there any feature that looked simple but almost broke the team?

The writing editor. It seems simple, but it’s complex to implement, especially on mobile. Even using libraries like TipTap, which Notion and others use, it’s still very tricky to get right.

You’re using tools like Cursor. Did that help?

Yes. AI helps with standard tasks—auth, payments, UI. It saves time on tedious stuff like tests and documentation. But when integrating a big codebase, AI still struggles. That’s where humans step in.

So do you think AI will replace developers?

Junior roles, yes. Many simple tasks are already handled by AI. But for complex, unique features, you still need engineers. Maybe in the future it will progress to mid or senior tasks, but right now juniors are most at risk.

That makes sense. Non-technical founders often think they don’t need developers anymore. But as we know, production apps require hosting, security, testing—things beyond what AI can handle alone.

Exactly. AI is great for prototypes. But production-ready apps? Still very complex. You’ll still need technical people.

Great. So let’s wrap with advice. What are your top three takeaways for non-technical founders building an AI startup?

Number one: Don’t rush into building. Validate your idea first. Use no-code or AI tools to set up a landing page, shout it from the rooftops, and get early validation.

For finding a CTO: don’t just DM people with I have a great idea, build it for me. That doesn’t work. Show traction, funding, or validation first. Even build a prototype with AI tools before pitching co-founders. That proves commitment.

And finally: don’t be afraid of AI tools yourself. As a non-technical founder, you can build prototypes with no-code and AI. Some YC companies started on Google Sheets. Focus on solving problems, not just building tech.

That’s excellent advice.

Alright, rapid fire time. When was the last time you posted without Cleve?

Last week.

How dare you. Rashad?

Not on LinkedIn. I post on Instagram and TikTok though.

Okay, fair enough. Who do you guys follow as creators?

Alex Hormozi, Ali Abdaal. They share authentic experiences—that’s the future.

Would you rather go viral and be hated, or post daily and get crickets?

Daily with crickets.

Viral.

Alright. Where can people try Cleve and follow your journey?

Head to cleve.ai—you can try it free. Follow Cleve AI on LinkedIn, or our personal LinkedIns: Ashvin Pravin and Rashad.

Perfect. Last question—if you had to leave listeners with one idea about AI and content, what would it be?

Have fun with it. Fun is underrated in business. Some of our biggest growth came when we weren’t too serious—just experimenting and enjoying ourselves.

Love that. Alright, that’s the end of today’s show. Thanks for tuning in. This is Tech It or Leave It. We make tech make sense. See you in the next episode.