How I Know You're Copying Straight From AI (and why people are going to stop reading it)

Listen. I love the help AI gives me with content as much as the next person. Even though it makes my daughter shudder to think that eventually we're all going to stop thinking for ourselves and creativity will go completely out the window, it has made my process so much more efficient.

HOWEVER. There is such a thing as relying on it TOO MUCH when it comes to content and social media posts.

As I've said before, AI should never be copied and pasted directly into a blog or a social media post. Sure - use the ideas, some of the phrases, whatever. But for crying out loud...put your spin on it or at least make it LOOK like it's not AI.

Here's how I can tell when someone has posted directly from AI.

Fragmented Sentences

ChatGPT loves its one-liners. It didn't used to be this way, but no matter how many times you instruct it not to do that, it does it anyway. If you're copying and pasting your blog or social media content directly from AI and every sentence is its own paragraph...I know it's AI. So, at least change the formatting.

The Word "Quietly"

Why does AI love this word so much? It seems like it's everywhere when it generates content - and it's a red flag. Most of the time, it's unnecessary, but if it works in the sentence, I encourage you to at least change it into a different word. Quietly, of course.

The Em Dash

Pretty much everyone knows this one. And it's so disappointing! I was a huge em dash user prior to AI, and now it's ruined it for me. That damn thing shows up EVERYWHERE in AI content - and you usually don't need it. (Look! There it is again!) Take it out, replace it with a colon, semi-colon, or comma...anything to keep us from being buried in em dashes.

Lines

ChatGPT especially sometimes puts lines in what it generates to separate sections. Please take those out. Don't just copy and paste them in.

Make Sure the Point of View is Correct

If you're asking AI to generate a social media post, make sure it's doing it from the right point of view. Sometimes it will take your post and say, "Check out this blog from Catherine" when you're posting on your own social media feed. In other words, don't talk about yourself in the third person like the Queen of England. Make sure it at least sounds like it's coming from you.

Why People Are Going to Stop Reading Your Obviously AI-Created Content

As AI becomes more and more popular, people are going to start craving individualism and creative points of view even more.

This was always true when it came to content. After all, why would I click on your blog explaining the stock market when I'm likely being fed that information by CNBC? Tell me what you think is going on with my investments, and I'm more likely to be hooked.

But as we move forward into this AI-driven world, authenticity and creative thoughts and opinions are going to be what make you stand out from the crowd.

Not only that...

When I click on a blog that has been obviously written entirely by AI and blindly copied by the creator, it makes me think, "You didn't take the time to write your thoughts about something. Why should I take the time to read it?"

The point of most content creation is to create trust with the audience. AI-written content is starting to give me a schmarmy feeling - which is the last thing anyone wants when trying to promote a business.

Sharing your thoughts on a topic goes a LONG WAY in creating that trust. Making sure your piece sounds like you is crucial. Can you use AI as an assistant? Absolutely! But don't let it run the show.