On Being AI-thentic

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We are living in a world where it is increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real from what is not. At the same time, technology has enabled small business owners to create content faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Recently, I explored using an AI avatar as part of my Direct Primary Care practice. The reactions were mixed—and genuinely interesting. As an early adopter and frequent consumer of new technology, I have always found social media content creation to be time-consuming. Even more challenging was finding someone who could truly capture my voice, tone, and intent. Because of that, I continued to create most content myself.

Enter AI.

I began using AI tools to help generate captions, refine messaging, and most recently, create an AI “twin” to represent me. That raised an important question: as small business owners with limited time and resources, how are we perceived when we use AI?

AI can be used for photoshoots that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive, for video creation, educational tools, voice narration, blog writing, and social posts. But does using AI make us any less authentic—especially when we are the ones providing the content, tone, and direction?

Creating everything exclusively through original video requires significantly more time, energy, logistical coordination, and cost—being camera-ready, scheduling shoots, and managing production. These are real barriers for many small business owners. AI tools allow ideas to move from concept to execution far more rapidly, often in a way that still feels natural and aligned with one’s voice.

Some will say, “I want to see your real face.” And that’s fair. But as technology continues to evolve, I’m curious whether that distinction will remain as clear—or as important—as it once was.

I don’t have a definitive answer. What I do know is this: AI is saving me time and money, and it allows me to rapidly iterate and bring ideas to life. For now, that feels like a win. How it is ultimately received remains to be seen—but experimenting with it has undeniably been fun.

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About Vasanth Kainkaryam, MD

Dr. Kainkaryam is a "Doctorpreneur" and Founder of 4 Elements Direct Primary Care, and host of the 4 Elements of Health Care Podcast is a triple board-certified Internist, Pediatrician, and Obesity Medicine specialist, and holds a Masters in Health Informatics. He has held a variety of roles as a community physician and regional medical director in a large health system, as a medical director of a healthcare startup, a Chief Medical Officer of a federally qualified health center and a Physician at the VA and at correctional institutions. 4 Elements Direct Primary Care & Wellness Space is his "ikigai" - a convergence of his previous experiences, as he disrupts the traditional model of health care by infusing his personal philosophies of care with evidence-informed medicine and personalized care. He is evolving his practice into the 4 Elements Vitality Institute, which is under construction and also is the Chief Medical Officer of a men's health startup called Bastion Health. Dr. Kainkaryam's "4E Philosophy" is how he works with his patients: engage, educate, empower and encourage. Similarly, his podcast focuses on four elements while looking at the healthcare experience through the lens of the patient: the doctor, patient, system and society. He is an author of a children's book titled "To See the World: A Rose-Colored Perspective," a husband to an Anesthesiologist and a father of three daughters, and assures us that despite his fascination with the number four, he is planning on keeping his number of children at three! You can follow him on social media at @the.doctor.vk