AI tell-tale signs: Stop sounding
like a bot

Every era has its linguistic giveaways. Victorians laced their letters with “I am, your humble servant.” Corporate memos from the ’90s pushed “paradigm shifts”, inspiring secret games of “boardroom bingo”. Now, AI-generated text has its own set of overused phrases that telegraph – or maybe WhatsApp: “This was written by a machine”.

If you want emails, reports or press releases to sound human, avoid these phrases.

“Thrilled to announce…”

My personal bugbear, and the motivation for this column. It is so overused in press releases and corporate updates, that not a day goes by without it appearing in my inbox. Look, a company or organisation cannot be “thrilled”. Unless you just invented time travel. Just say “We’re launching” or, better yet, get to the point.

“In today’s fast-paced world…”

This assumes today is uniquely hectic. Every era feels overwhelming to the people living in it.

“Delve into…”

The word “delve” increased 20-fold in academic papers in the first year of ChatGPT. I discovered that by delving (oops) into the topic and discovering that articles no longer “explore” or “analyse” – they “delve into” topics unnecessarily. If you wouldn’t say it in conversation, don’t write it.

“Harnessing the power of…”

Nobody is actually “harnessing the power” of a new app or product, unless they’re the X-Men or Avengers. Just say “using.” AI-generated writing tends to add unnecessary flair to sound sophisticated, but simplicity has more impact and sounds more honest.

“Revolutionising” anything

AI loves calling everything a revolution, because that’s what it was raised on. But real revolutions – like the internet or indoor plumbing – don’t come by every week. If it’s just an improvement, say so. Overstating progress turns informing into advertising.

“Unprecedented times”

It was overused during the pandemic, but history is full of crises. If you mean “challenging” or “unusual,” just say that. And no, Manchester United or City becoming an average side does not count as “unprecedented”.

“A game-changer”

Admittedly, I can’t really blame AI for this one. Every third press release over the past two decades has claimed this remarkable status.  Unless it has actually changed the game, though, it’s mere hype.

“Empowering users”

Although popular in South Africa for a long time, it is now a global cliché. Technology or training doesn’t hand people magic wands or automatically give them agency in a world controlled by governments and corporations.

“Seamlessly integrates with…”

Everything claims to “seamlessly integrate,” even when it demands hours of setup and resetting. If you can’t explain how it works, it ain’t seamless. Or simple. Or easy. Did you hear me, Microsoft Teams? Android Auto?

“Unlocking new possibilities”

AI-generated content loves this phrase, but it means nothing. What does the tool actually do?

“Transforming the way we…”

Not everything “transforms” the way we work or live. If something genuinely changes the landscape, describe the change, but mostly it’s AI trying to sound important. Again, because that’s what it was raised on and it thinks everything works that way.

“Pushing the boundaries of…”

Unless you’re literally exploring new frontiers in science or technology, this phrase is just corporate fluff. Personally, I’m pushing the boundaries of sleep, but no one seems impressed.

“Leveraging…”

AI-generated content loves to talk about “leveraging data,” “leveraging AI,” and “leveraging insights.” When it’s merely “using.”

Beyond the words and phrases, AI-generated text typically lacks personal experience. I asked ChatGPT about this and it came up with a wonderful phrase, that I would not have identified as AI-generated: “It lacks natural human rhythm.” That proves AI can sound warm and human, but it is an exception, or a result of lucky prompting.

Usually, AI-generated content tends to sit on the fence. But that’s according to AI, so don’t take its word for it.

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky on @art2gee.bsky.social.