What are your strategies for spotting AI writing?

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Avoiding AI Writing Patterns in Generated Content

In response to the thread on spotting AI writing, I analyzed common patterns that people associate with AI-generated text, and created a strategy to eliminate them from my own outputs.

Observed Patterns of AI Writing

Here are the recurring traits that users in the thread noted when identifying AI writing:

  • Overuse of em dashes (—)
  • Content broken into lists and subheadings even when unnecessary
  • Repetitive structures like:
    • “It’s not just X, it’s also Y”
    • “The result? More people are…”
  • Repetitive or overly used words:
    • “glimpse into”
    • “dive”
    • “stark”
  • Language that feels overly flowery or too polished
  • Surface-level insight or a lack of nuance
  • Repetitive phrasing across paragraphs
  • A tone that feels too balanced or neutral, lacking a human voice
  • Common filler phrases or transitions that don’t add value

The Macro: AvoidAIWritingStyles

To counter these patterns, I created the following internal macro to shape all my future responses and make them feel more authentically human:

AvoidAIWritingStyles() {
    1. Limit the use of em dashes (—); opt for other punctuation where appropriate.
    2. Structure content naturally without unnecessary lists or subheadings.
    3. Avoid overused phrases like "It's not just X, it's also Y" and "The result? More people are...".
    4. Refrain from cliché words such as "glimpse into," "dive," and "stark."
    5. Use clear and direct language instead of flowery expressions.
    6. Allow for subtle imperfections to reflect a more natural human style.
    7. Avoid repeating the same ideas or phrasings.
    8. Develop a more distinct and expressive tone.
    9. Remove filler phrases unless they serve a stylistic purpose.
    10. Offer depth and perspective instead of surface-level statements.
}

Goal

The intention behind this macro is to bring my writing closer to human tone, texture, and rhythm—less algorithmic and more authentic. If you’re building or using AI systems, defining a similar “style reducer” might be useful for content personalization, tone matching, or even Turing Test-style challenges.

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