Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It writes texts, generates images, edits videos, and optimizes advertising campaigns. For some, it represents the future of creativity, a revolution that will sweep away professions built around human expression. But for Jean Marie Cordaro, creator, entrepreneur, and founder of Bonzai.pro, the story is different.
After spending fifteen years on the streets captivating strangers as a street artist, before building a community of tens of thousands on YouTube, he is convinced of one thing: no machine will ever replace the human connection. AI can assist, accelerate, and rationalize, but the real value, the reason why an audience stops, listens, and engages, remains deeply human.
Beginnings where only the connection mattered
Before platforms and algorithms, Jean Marie Cordaro’s classroom was the street. No studio, no editing software, no post-production. Just an artist and his audience, in the moment. There was no room to fake it: either you captured attention, or you faded into the background.
That experience shaped his belief that what keeps people engaged isn’t the perfection of a performance, but the sincerity of a presence. A look, a well-timed word, a shared energy, that’s what creates connection. When he later brought this mindset to YouTube, he kept it as his compass. Cameras changed, formats evolved, but the rule remained: speak to real people, not just to numbers.
AI: ally or threat?
Jean Marie Cordaro is no technophobe. He knows how to use tools, he knows AI can generate script ideas, lend a hand with editing, or automate repetitive tasks. In that sense, it is an ally. But where he draws the line is at the very essence of creation: the meeting between a creator and their audience.
A video that’s flawless but cold won’t spark emotion. A perfectly structured text without a unique voice won’t create attachment. No matter how advanced, AI cannot laugh at a slip-up, improvise a genuine reaction, or share a fear or joy that resonates precisely because it is real.
Trust: a capital that can’t be imitated
At the heart of Jean Marie Cordaro’s vision lies trust. This is what turns a casual viewer into a community member. And trust is not built through optimized phrases or standardized videos. It grows over time, through coherence, through accepted imperfections, through paying attention to those who watch and comment.
AI can churn out ten videos a day, but it can never tell a lived story, own a journey, or look someone in the eye during a livestream. Trust is the product of authenticity, and that’s something machines don’t have.
The risk of a world of soulless content
Cordaro also warns of a potential drift: if everyone delegates their creativity to AI, then content will start to look the same, becoming interchangeable. Audiences will no longer see the difference between one video and the next.
The consequence? Loss of interest, fatigue, and above all, an absence of connection. Because what makes someone stay isn’t just the information shared, but the feeling of listening to someone real.
Using AI without losing your identity
For him, the balance is clear: AI should be used as leverage, not as a substitute. Let machines do what they do best, automating, calculating, optimizing, but keep a firm grip on what truly makes the difference: the way you tell stories, share experiences, and create genuine bonds.
What he passes on to other creators is this simple idea: technology is a tool, not an identity. That’s also the principle behind Bonzai.pro, a platform he designed to help creators keep control of their work and monetize it in a way that doesn’t strip away the human element.
A vision for tomorrow’s creators
Jean Marie Cordaro firmly believes the future belongs to those who can remain human in an increasingly automated world. The more AI-generated content floods the internet, the more authenticity becomes rare, and therefore valuable.
The creators who will thrive are not the ones who publish the most, but those who manage to build communities around sincerity, conversations, and consistency. In a universe saturated with artificial productions, it is the flaws, the emotions, the human truths that will make the difference.
Conclusion: a compass for the future
Jean Marie Cordaro’s story illustrates a strong conviction: human beings cannot be replaced. AI is here, it is growing, it is spreading. But value does not lie in perfect content—it lies in relationships, in trust, in emotion.
This is the conviction he shares with creators who feel overwhelmed by automation: use the tools, but don’t lose your voice. And with Bonzai.pro, he proves it’s possible to build powerful digital solutions while keeping human value at the center.
