The Skills AI Cannot Touch (And How to Build Them) — with Vi Wickam

The Skills AI Cannot Touch (And How to Build Them) — with Vi Wickam

From Expert Intelligence with Paul Estes by Paul Estes

March 17, 2026 · 27 min · Episode 29

About this episode

Vi Wickam discusses the importance of honest marketing and the impact of AI on creative thinking.

Think about the last time you saw a company's marketing and actually felt something more than mild interest. Chances are you're struggling to come up with one. And that's not an accident. Vi Wickam has spent 30 years in digital marketing, helping companies fix this mistake. His premise is simple and kind of uncomfortable: honest marketing always wins, most companies aren't doing it, and AI is about to make the gap between the two a whole lot wider. But this conversation goes deeper than marketing. Vi and Paul get into something most people don't want to sit with: your creative thinking might be slowly dying. You probably haven't noticed because your social media feed has been doing your thinking for you. Just one example from the episode: Paul Simon didn't stay creative by consuming more of the same thing. He listened to different music. That’s it. And if that sounds too simple to matter, that's exactly the problem. You'll Learn: Why most companies don't actually have a brand, and the uncomfortable truth about what's missing The “10-80-10” framework for working with AI without letting it take over the parts that actually require a human How to uncover what your company genuinely…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Estes

Guest: Vi Wickam

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