6 AI quirks that give it away as being artificial

(LinkedIn post on Sat, Dec 7, 2024) 

Last night I squared off as a #gladiator against my foe while hundreds chanted my name (Ali! Ali! ALI!).

Ok, ok, so there was no battle. There wasn't even a fight—just a strongly worded debate on Facebook about whether or not a piece of writing was written by #AI. 

It all started when I said I was sick of overuse of AI replacing excellent human driven communication, specifically writing.

Dear reader, I kid you not, I was shocked that my quick critique got 𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 of likes and comments. As 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀, we often spot and worry over consequences of unrestricted robot writing, so it felt extremely gratifying to see the majority of people agreed.

However, not everyone agreed. One indignant commenter insisted I was wrong—that the article was NOT written by AI and her mind was made up. She didn't even give reasons, she just said everyone who agreed with me was wrong.

You can't please everyone, but I decided I would do something about it here on LinkedIn.

Debating whether something was written by AI or a human can get heated, but the truth is, 𝗔𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆.  

Ever read something and thought, “𝗡𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀”? You’re probably right. AI writing is everywhere now, and while it CAN be impressive, it often feels like getting a birthday card from someone who forgot your name—polished but empty.  

Here are 6 ways how I spot the signs I'm reading AI produced text—not to call anyone out, but to better understand what separates 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆:  

1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴

AI often repeats patterns like “It is important to note...” or “One key factor is...,” while humans tend to 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 naturally.  

2️⃣ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀

Terms like "indeed," "furthermore," or "moreover" might appear 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆, especially in casual contexts.  

3️⃣ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

AI leans 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹, even when casual language is better. For example, it might write “This warrants further exploration” instead of “That’s worth a look.”  

4️⃣ 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿

AI avoids the 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (like fragments or contractions) that humans naturally include.  

5️⃣ 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲

AI often presents 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗹y, even on divisive issues, using phrases like “While some believe X, others argue Y.”  

6️⃣ 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀

AI avoids 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘀. It might say “a person walking in the park” rather than “Karen's walking spot in Central Park.”  

These clues aren’t definitive, but they can help identify AI-generated writing. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂? Are there other things that tip you off to robo writers? Let’s chat!

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