AI-Driven Imposter Syndrome: Why the Feeling of “Cheating” Might Actually Mean You Care

It’s wild how quickly we go from “is this even ethical?” to “why wouldn’t I use this?”

I’ve been hearing (and feeling) this tension a lot lately — where we know AI is helping, but it still feels a little… wrong. Like we’re cutting corners. Like maybe we’re cheating.

It shows up in thoughts like:

• “Cool, I wrote this in seven minutes. Is that… impressive or concerning?”

  
  

• “So I fed it my ideas and it gave me back something polished. Is that partnership… or plagiarism?”

  
  

• “If the idea is mine but the words aren’t… does that make me a strategist or a fraud?”

We don’t always say it out loud — but we feel it. Because the speed feels suspicious. And deep down, many of us were taught that good work is supposed to be hard.

A former colleague messaged me after reading my first post and said something that stuck with me:

“It only feels weird because it’s new. I remember when using spellcheck on a paper was considered cheating — now students get in trouble if they don’t use it.”

And he’s right. Some of this unease is about newness. But I think there’s also something deeper happening.

This isn’t just guilt. It’s a kind of emotional whiplash — a version of AI-driven imposter syndrome.

Because when something feels effortless, we start to question whether effort was ever the thing that made us valuable.

Digital health futurist John Nosta recently wrote about this shift in Psychology Today, and the way he framed it helped something click for me. He breaks it down like this:

• Traditional imposter syndrome = “I’ve worked hard, but I’m afraid I don’t deserve this.”

• AI imposter syndrome = “This was too easy… so maybe I don’t deserve it.”

  
  

It’s not about doubting our abilities — it’s about doubting the legitimacy of ease.

This idea connects with something else Nosta wrote about: effort justification — the belief that work must be difficult in order to be meaningful. So when AI makes things faster, smoother, more efficient… we sometimes feel like we’ve skipped a necessary step. Like we haven’t earned it.

But maybe it’s time to reframe what “earning it” means.

Here are three ways Nosta suggests we shift our thinking:

1. Reframe Intelligence

It’s not just about effort — it’s about strategy.

The smartest people aren’t the ones grinding the hardest.

They’re the ones who know how to ask better questions, filter better outputs, and engage with AI more meaningfully.

2. Own the Process

AI can assist — but it doesn’t replace your judgment, your voice, or your creative restraint.

It can suggest. You decide.

That choice still holds value.

3. Think in Terms of “Return on Engagement” (ROE)

Your worth isn’t defined by how hard something felt.

It’s defined by how deeply you engaged with the work — and what impact came from it.

So if you’ve ever felt that weird twinge of guilt — like AI made things “too easy” — I see you.

But easy doesn’t mean lazy.

And faster doesn’t mean less valuable.

Some days, AI feels like magic. Other days, it feels like a mirror.

If it’s making you feel things… that might be your edge. Because empathy, doubt, care — those aren’t bugs in the system. They’re the human code behind great strategy, storytelling, and trust.