Dead Giveaways Your Content Was Written by AI and How to Avoid them

From blog posts and articles to social media updates, AI can generate text quickly and efficiently. There’s no shame in using these tools to save ourselves time and effort. However, AI-generated content often carries signs that scream “chatGPT wrote this!” Recognizing these robotic tendencies and guiding the AI to avoid them, or just editing them out yourself, can help your content feel a lot more authentic and human.

Overly Formal or Structured Tone

The Problem:
AI tends to default to a more formal tone, which can feel stiff and out of place in casual settings. Whether it’s a social media post, a blog, or even a conversational article, this formal tone can disconnect the reader from the message.

How to Fix It:

• Define the tone upfront: Be clear about the tone you’re aiming for—whether that’s casual, conversational, empathetic, or playful. AI needs to “understand” what tone matches the audience and context.
• Use contractions: Encourage the use of contractions like “it’s” instead of “it is,” or “you’ll” instead of “you will.” This simple shift makes the writing feel more approachable.
• Mix sentence structures: Request a variety of sentence lengths to create a more natural flow. Humans naturally mix short, punchy sentences with longer, more detailed ones.

Repetitive Phrasing and Sentence Structures

The Problem:
AI tends to repeat phrases and structures. For instance, you’ll often see the same transitional phrases like “In conclusion” or “Additionally” over and over. This predictability gives away that the content was machine-generated.

How to Fix It:

• Introduce variety: Instruct AI to use different ways to transition between ideas. Instead of “furthermore,” suggest phrases like “On top of that” or “Let’s dive deeper.”
• Be specific: Encourage AI to focus on specific details rather than relying on generic, repetitive phrasing. For example, instead of “leveraging opportunities,” describe the opportunity in real-world terms.

Clichés and Generic Language

The Problem:
AI can fall back on overused phrases and buzzwords like “cutting-edge,” “synergy,” or “take your business to the next level.” These phrases might sound polished, but they often lack originality and personal touch.

How to Fix It:

• Focus on originality: Replace clichéd terms with more specific, descriptive language. Instead of “cutting-edge solutions,” opt for something like “innovative strategies that solve real-world problems.”
• Be conversational: Encourage more casual, human language. AI often misses the mark when it tries to use idioms or slang, but you can guide it by suggesting more down-to-earth alternatives.

Overuse of Transitional Phrases

The Problem:
AI models often rely heavily on formal transitional phrases such as “moreover,” “furthermore,” or “in addition.” While these words help organize thoughts, overusing them makes the text feel robotic.

How to Fix It:

• Suggest smoother transitions: Ask for transitions that feel more natural and conversational, such as “On another note,” “Let’s look at,” or “What’s more.”
• Break the fourth wall: Humans often create engagement by speaking directly to the reader. Encourage the AI to address the reader casually, e.g., “You’re probably wondering….”

Overly Polished, Perfect Language

The Problem:
AI writing can feel unnaturally polished and grammatically flawless, but human writing has imperfections that make it relatable. Small quirks, casual phrasing, and occasional imperfection create authenticity.

How to Fix It:

• Use colloquial expressions: Request more informal and conversational expressions instead of stiff, overly precise language. For example, swap “utilize” for “use” or “commence” for “start.”
• Let imperfections happen: Encourage a bit of informality. Perfect grammar in casual writing can sound too stiff. Let the AI include phrases that feel more like how people speak in real life.

Common ChatGPTisms to avoid (or at the very least limit)

• In today’s ______ landscape
• In today’s fast-paced world
• In today’s digital age
• Anything that starts with “in today’s” really.
• Delve
• Ever evolving
• Realm
• Landscape
• Remember, it is important to note
• Furthermore
• Moreover
• Crucial
• EMOJI Sentence sentence sentence SAME EMOJI

How to Train AI for More Human-Like Content

Once you recognize these common AI writing tendencies, the next step is training the AI to avoid them. Here are some helpful tips to guide the process:

1. Clearly Define the Tone and Voice: Let the AI know the target tone (e.g., conversational, friendly, or professional). Give examples of human-written content that matches the desired style.
2. Personalize the Writing: Encourage storytelling, real-world examples, and personal touches. This helps AI shift from abstract concepts to relatable content.
3. Emphasize Variety: Avoid overly structured, predictable formats. Guide AI to break out of rigid patterns by using more dynamic sentence lengths and less reliance on repetitive phrases.
4. Simplify Language: Instruct AI to avoid jargon, clichés, and buzzwords. Simple, clear language that directly addresses the reader is more engaging.
5. Provide Feedback Regularly: As you work with AI, continue providing feedback on what feels too robotic and what can be improved. The more feedback, the better the AI can adjust.
6. Use Rhetorical Questions and Address the Reader: Direct engagement with the audience, through questions or conversational phrasing, helps make the content feel more lively and human.
7. Stay Conversational: Finally, train the AI to prioritize conversational tones over overly formal language, especially when writing for blogs, social media, or casual articles.
8. Avoid or Limit the Use of Obvious ChatGPTisms: See list of clues that give away the true writer of your content and avoid them like the plague.
9. Re-write the Intro and Conclusion: AI does a good job of giving concrete information, as long as the body matches your overall tone, you could humanize the content by adding your personal touch to the intro and conclusion.

Here’s an example of what to include in your prompt if you are writing a blog post:

• Tone: Friendly, conversational, empathetic.
• Avoid: Clichés like “cutting-edge” and formal transitions like “furthermore.”
• Focus: Include more personal language and questions that engage the reader. Use simple, clear sentences.

Try it and see if you notice a difference.

BY THE WAY, if you are a brand paying for original content creation and are seeing any of these signs in your content, talk to your content creator. They should know better!