Last night, I stumbled across a TikTok that unpacked the famous thought experiment known as The Chinese Room. For those unfamiliar, it’s a philosophical argument by John Searle that challenges the idea of artificial intelligence truly “understanding” language. In the experiment, a person who doesn’t speak Chinese sits in a room with a rulebook that allows them to respond to Chinese characters convincingly. To an outsider, it looks like the person understands Chinese – but in reality, they’re just following instructions.
It got me thinking:
Are we breeding a generation of marketers who are stuck in their own Chinese Rooms?
With the rise of large language models (LLMs), it’s never been easier to generate content. Blogs, emails, social posts, even entire campaign plans – spat out in seconds. But here’s the problem: just like the person in the Chinese Room, many marketers are now producing content without truly understanding the language of their audience, the nuance of their brand, or the emotional context of their message.
We’re seeing a wave of hollow marketing. It’s polished, grammatically perfect, and SEO-optimised – but it lacks soul.
The Danger of the LLM-Only Marketer
Don’t get me wrong – LLMs are powerful tools. At Cremarc, we use them to accelerate ideation, streamline workflows, and even challenge our own thinking. But they’re just that: tools. When they become the source of your marketing voice rather than a support, you risk losing the very thing that makes B2B marketing effective – authenticity.
In B2B, trust is currency. And trust isn’t built through generic content. It’s built through stories. Real ones. Told by real people.
Like me. Gabe from Cremarc. I set the strategic marketing vision for many of our clients. My experience is what created this blog. I actually used Copilot to help me formulate the opening section. But without me, it wouldn’t exist. If you take one thing away from this blog, I hope its that LLMs are incredibly helpful tools. But they’re tools. Plumbers have their grip pliers. Builders have their drills.
Tools are only as good as the wielder. So be a better wielder and understand what you’re doing before you do.
Authenticity Will Be the Growth Engine of B2B Brands
As we move into 2026, I believe we’re going to see a shift. Brands will start to realise that their most powerful marketing assets aren’t their taglines or their product sheets – they’re their people.
We’re entering an era where individual thought leaders within businesses will become just as important as the brand narrative itself. The CTO who shares their vision on LinkedIn. The sales director who posts about a customer success story. The engineer who explains how they solved a real-world problem.
These voices cut through the noise. They’re messy, imperfect, and human. And that’s exactly why they work.
What This Means for Marketers
If you’re a marketer today, your job isn’t just to write content – it’s to find it. To uncover the stories within your organisation. To empower your colleagues to speak up. To build platforms where real voices can shine.
It’s also your job to challenge the overuse of LLMs. Ask yourself: does this piece of content feel like us? Would our customers believe it came from a real person? Does it reflect our values, our quirks, our tone?
If not, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
Quick Final Thought
The Chinese Room reminds us that imitation isn’t understanding. And in B2B marketing, imitation isn’t connection. As we embrace the future of AI, let’s not forget the power of human insight, emotion, and authenticity.
Because in the end, people buy from people. Not from rooms full of rulebooks.
