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As AI writing tools transform how we create, questions of authorship and authenticity have taken on new urgency. But this tension between collaboration and individual ownership isn’t new. The partnership between President John F. Kennedy and speechwriter Ted Sorensen offers a compelling framework for understanding what constitutes “true authorship” in our AI-assisted era.

The Kennedy Model of Collaborative Authorship

For over a decade, Kennedy worked closely with Sorensen on some of history’s most memorable speeches. Despite Sorensen’s significant contributions, both men maintained that Kennedy was the true author. Sorensen’s definition of authorship provides crucial insight:

“If a man in a high office speaks words which convey his principles and policies and ideas and he’s willing to stand behind them and take whatever blame or therefore credit go with them, [the speech is] his.”

ThoughtCo – Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing

Kennedy wasn’t passive in this relationship. As documented:

“John Kennedy was the true author of all of his speeches and writings. They set forth his ideals and ideas, his decisions and policies, his knowledge of history and of politics. He played a role in every major speech, selecting the subject matter and themes, arguments and conclusions.”

JFK The Last Speech – Selected Speeches

The AI Writing Parallel

Today’s relationship between writers and AI writing tools mirrors the Kennedy-Sorensen dynamic remarkably closely:

Why This Matters

The effectiveness of Kennedy’s collaborative approach had real consequences. As Sorensen noted:

“Kennedy’s rhetoric when he was president turned out to be a key to his success. His ‘mere words’ about Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba helped resolve the worst crisis the world has ever known.”

ThoughtCo – Ted Sorensen on the Kennedy Style of Speech-Writing

Similarly, AI-assisted writing can produce results that transcend what we might achieve alone – not by replacing our voice, but by amplifying it.

The Risk of Passive Collaboration

However, there’s a crucial difference between Kennedy’s active collaboration and the risk many face with AI tools today. Kennedy maintained strong editorial control and clear vision throughout the process. The real danger is the temptation to “go with the flow” – accepting AI-generated content without asserting your own voice. When we become too passive in the collaboration, allowing the AI to drive themes, arguments, and conclusions, we risk losing the very authenticity that defines true authorship. The tool becomes the author, and we become mere editors of someone else’s (or in this case, something else’s) ideas.

Lessons from Other Presidential Speechwriters

The Kennedy-Sorensen model isn’t unique. Other presidential speechwriters described remarkably similar dynamics:

Peggy Noonan (Reagan) defined her role as “trying to express the thoughts of another the way they would express them”. Jon Favreau (Obama) described their collaborative process: “I will sit down with him, we’ll talk for 20 or 30 minutes… And then I will go back, and I’ll work with my team, and we will put together a draft that reflects the conversation”. Ray Price (Nixon) insisted his role was “to make sure that nothing got into the President’s speech that was not what he wanted to say, the way he wanted to say it”.

Just as Favreau translated Obama’s “20 or 30 minutes” of thoughts into polished speeches, AI helps us transform our ideas into structured prose. Just as Noonan expressed Reagan’s thoughts “the way they would express them,” effective AI use means the output still sounds authentically like you.

Redefining Authorship for the AI Era

The Kennedy-Sorensen model suggests that authentic authorship isn’t about writing every word yourself. It’s about:

• Owning your ideas: The concepts, values, and messages remain yours
• Directing the process: You set the themes, tone, and objectives
• Taking responsibility: You stand behind the final product
• Maintaining your voice: The output reflects your authentic perspective

As Jack Kerouac once wrote, “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” AI collaboration can help us discover those right, simple words more effectively than struggling alone.

Kennedy believed in “the power of words — both written and spoken — to win votes, to set goals, to change minds, to move nations” (JFK Library – Historic Speeches). In our AI era, that power remains firmly in human hands – we simply wield it with more sophisticated tools.