Solving the AI slop problem
You can usually tell when AI wrote something, even if you can't say how. Readers feel it too, and they don't call it out: they trust you a little less and stop replying.
Why AI copy sounds the same
AI writes the average of everything it has read. Left alone, your copy sounds like everyone else's.
The tells
- FragmentsShort dramatic sentences that sound punchy and say little.
- RepetitionThe same line repeated for effect.
- Clever headingsBuilt to sound smart instead of saying something.
- The overcorrectionFix all that carelessly and you get stiff, bureaucratic filler.
The target is in between: a senior person explaining something plainly, in full sentences.
Making the fixes stick
I made the fixes stick, so nobody has to catch the same problem twice.
- Banned tellsEm dashes, words like "quietly", and the "not this, it's that" sentence shape are out. I can't save an em dash into a document. The system blocks it.
- Saved editsMy rewrites are kept as examples for the next draft.
- A lintA script checks every draft before I see it. It catches the tells and any retired product names or phrases we've stopped using.
- Real material firstDrafts start from my notes, call transcripts, and proof points. Never a blank prompt.
What a lint misses
A lint catches patterns. It can't tell you if a sentence says something true. People do that part.