In the Ocean, Rarity Adapts: Why AI Needs the People Who Can See Beneath the Surface
- lianahelene
- Dec 31, 2025
- 4 min read
Narwhals. Yes, that’s how this starts. If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that every good story benefits from a narwhal.
The Understory Current
There’s a quiet shift happening among experienced communicators. We’ve spent years mastering the craft of designing narrative frameworks, ensuring stakeholder alignment, and delivering high-stakes writing under pressure. We can produce campaign strategies and write press releases in our sleep, and we live and die by style guides.
But in recent years, competence has begun to feel like containment — at least for me. Publishing no longer sparks the same joy. Writing articles has become more formula than discovery. We get tangled in content calendars and deliverables, leaving little room to nurture curiosity. Our higher purpose as stewards of public trust drifted somewhere into the ocean blue.
We, and sometimes those around us, take for granted our rare ability to translate complexity into clarity and policy into human stakes.
In short, we possess a governance superpower we rarely claim.
Narwhal Insight #1 — Sensory Intelligence: Narwhals detect change before it’s visible using millions of nerve endings in their tusk to translate the environment into meaning.
That is what strategic communicators do. Our version of a tusk helps us identify audience needs and interpret impact before consequences surface.
AI Is an Environment Built for Creatures Like Us
Those of us trained in public affairs, development, and crisis communications thrive where ethical rigor, clarity standards, and accountability protect organizations and the people they serve. When we lend this expertise to help companies design AI systems, we shape outcomes that encourage responsible use and foster fair results, especially under clear governance policies.
Put differently: our understanding of language creates meaningful impact, and the AI world needs more of us narwhals.
Narwhal Insight #2 — Early Warning Systems: Marine scientists consider narwhals indicator species. When ecosystems destabilize, they feel it first.
Communicators hold that same responsibility in emerging tech: we spot disconnects such as unclear language or incorrect tone. As protectors of our realm, we are hyperaware of the damaging effects of bias and inaccuracies. With these insights, AI developers can release effective systems that empower and include. But left unresolved, these systems can cause unintended harm or lead customers to lose trust in products.
In 2023, Snapchat first released its My AI chatbot in 2023, and some users received inappropriate or unreliable responses to harmless prompts. The backlash was immediate — a reminder that miscommunication in AI products can quickly erode public trust.
Narwhal Insight #3 — Teamwork for Survival Narwhals navigate the unseen through echolocation. Their clicks and calls synchronize movement when visibility is low.
Innovation, especially in rapidly evolving technologies, requires that same collective intelligence. No single discipline can navigate the dark alone. As we move into uncharted waters, engineers, developers, and builders are needed to construct the vessel; policymakers are needed to draw reliable maps; and subject matter experts are needed to keep the course true.
The Invitation
If you are a communicator, I urge you to future-proof your role and relevance by learning AI now.
Become a champion of responsible use in your organization. Optimize workflows, improve collaboration, and save resources. Teach reluctant colleagues how to use these tools. Advocate for safety and transparency. Draft an AI governance policy for leadership approval. As a practical example, partner with HR to clearly communicate how AI is used in hiring and how applicant data is protected. Stay curious and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
And if you feel called to move beyond brand calendars, pay attention to that instinct. You may be ready for deeper waters. The world does not need more content, especially the dreaded “AI slop.” Our future depends on trusted interpreters of technology and its societal impact.
Let’s Swim
To be clear, I am not positioning myself as a thought leader. Far from it.
I’m simply grateful to find this new community of other stewards of trust and progress (the dreamers and idealists of our generation).
If your path is leading you toward AI, I’d love to connect.
How AI Supported This Writing
In the spirit of transparency, I used AI as a drafting partner in parts of this piece. For example, I brainstormed with ChatGPT to select an animal metaphor. We briefly explored a goldfish-in-a-fishtank idea, but that felt cliché. I considered a Finding Nemo theme, but quickly abandoned it to avoid potential copyright issues. Eventually, we landed on the beloved narwhal.
I also used ChatGPT to surface relevant narwhal research, unblock a few moments of writer’s hesitation, and strengthen editorial flow. Every insight, narrative direction, and decision in this piece remains my own.
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