AI text generators are nothing short of amazing these days. From drafting social media posts to updating your resume — or even inviting friends to your birthday dinner — tools like ChatGPT make quick work of just about any written task. It’s like your own personal intern on call 24/7.
And like any intern, AI needs supervision. Chatbots mimic human language impressively well, but only on the surface. That’s true of their reasoning and fact-finding skills, as well. They’ll give you a decent rough draft, sure. But without your direction, edits, and judgment, your finished product will be just a shell of an idea.
No worries! It’s easy to get polished, professional results from AI drafts when you know what to look for, and how to edit like a Boss. 💪💪💪
🧠🤖 Spot the “AI Tells” 👀👀👀
Heads up – here’s ten common slips to watch out for. Think of this as your cheat sheet for strong, effective AI collaborations that accurately reflect your unique voice and viewpoints.
- Repetition and Redundancy At first glance, AI-generated writing can seem sharp and professional. But look closer, and it’s often just the same idea repeated with different window dressings. AI loves to sound helpful — even if it’s not saying much. Think of it like a polite guest who won’t stop rephrasing themselves. Edit ruthlessly.
- “It’s Not This, It’s That” This common rhetorical structure pops up everywhere in AI-generated text. It’s not bad, but can quickly feel lazy and even… obvious. Don’t let ChatGPT use the same trick twice in the same post.
- Overconfident Bloviating AI loves to sound like an expert — even when it’s completely making things up. If the tone feels too puffed-up or polished, give it a reality check. Cut the fluff, keep the facts (that you can verify).
- Weirdly Formal or Tone-Deaf Language AI often defaults to stiff, awkward phrasing. It’s trying to be “professional” but can miss emotional nuance. If something feels off, trust your gut and rewrite it in your own words.
- Overuse of Bullet Points, Headers, and Bold Text AI formats things to look clean and scannable — which is great! But when every paragraph has a subhead and every thought gets a bullet point, it can feel robotic. Don’t be afraid to break the pattern. 🙃 Pro Insight: ChatGPT almost always suggests a section called “Final Thoughts.” (Tell us you used AI without telling us you used AI).
- Adverb Overload + Crutch Phrases AI has a soft spot for words like clearly, undoubtedly, basically, and phrases like “That being said” or “It’s worth noting.” Use them sparingly. They tend to add word count, not value.
- Excessive Em Dashes AI loves an em dash — and it shows. Once a stylistic flourish (hi, Emily Dickinson), it’s now one of AI’s favorite punctuation crutches. It uses them to stretch sentences, create drama, or shift tone — whether needed or not. A few are fine, but if every paragraph leans on them, your writing might be held together by hyphens and vibes. When in doubt, swap for a period or comma.
- Paragraphs That Feel Too Perfect Uniform sentence lengths. Symmetrical structure. It looks clean, but it reads flat. Mix up your rhythm to sound more human.
- Awkward Idioms and Slang Ever hear someone use a saying slightly wrong, like “It’s not rocket surgery”? That’s AI energy. It tries — but slang, idioms, and cultural references often miss the mark.
- No Real-Life Perspective AI can give you solid facts, but it can’t draw from lived experience. Add your own insights, examples, or humor to ground the piece in your voice.
TRUE STORY: Using AI-generated text isn’t “cheating” — it’s just smart use of technology. With tools like ChatGPT, you can draft, brainstorm, and revise in ways that save serious time and energy. But the magic really happens when you step in. A little mindful editing (the kind anyone can learn) is what turns a decent draft into something clear, confident, and truly your own.
🎯 Next Step: Teach Your AI to Think Like You
Want to get even better at collaborating with ChatGPT? One of our favorite tricks is using Workspace Tags, a simple way to train the bot on your brand, goals, voice, and style. It’s like onboarding your intern… but without the paperwork.
👉 Check out our how-to post on Workspace Tags and start giving your AI a memory worth working with.
👋 Thanks for reading — we’re glad you’re here. This blog is powered by East Falls Media, where we help small businesses, nonprofits, and local governments connect with clarity and purpose.
