5 Simple Tips to Identify AI Content

Simple Methods to Identify AI Content

Introduction

Now in our modern digital world, it is common for you to find things which were actually created by AI. By knowing how to filter out human vs machine text writing, you can believe the data for granted. 5 quick ways to distinguish human content from generative AI (GenAI) are:

1. Repeating Writing Patterns

GenAI text is very good for repetitive wording and sentence formats. As humans, we vary how long we talk for and in what style but AI has a habit of sticking to one mundane pattern. Look out for:

Repeated phrases: AI says the same phrases again and again in the text.
Uniformity in sentence lengths: Most sentences will have a uniform structure.
Lack of sophistication: Sentences are a lot more basic, which makes up for the simplicity score above, but not what you would anticipate from real human writing.

2. Lack of Personal Touch

Human writers tend to include unique stories, viewpoints and experiences in their content. These components add personality and a connection to the text. The GenAI content, however, does not feel as personal. Look for:

No stories or insights: There are no personal anecdotes.
No clear opinions: For all other cases, the content will not make a clear argument.
Generic tone: The writing is dull and lacks any personification.

3. Great Grammar but Weird Word Selection

AI can produce grammatically perfect text but that sometimes makes odd word choices a human writer would not make. This may make the subject sound a little out of place. Consider these points:

Unexpected combinations of words: AI use words that are OK grammar-wise but really do not belong together.
Overly formal language: using words that are too formal for the context.
Word-for-word translations: Expressions that seem to be directly translated from another language might appear.

4. Lack of Emotional Depth

More often than not, human writing builds emotions and subtly delivers feelings which are hard for AI to replicate. GenAI content can come across as emotionally dull or too neutral. Be on the lookout for:

Neutral tone: The text maintains an even tone throughout.
No Belated Humor or Sarcasm: The content will lack these human elements.
Flat storytelling: If there are stories in the content, they may do so in a very simple, direct way and hence doesn’t hook the reader.

5. Overly Polished Content

The actual text sounds too pristine, without the kind of little errors and missteps that real human writers often then show. Despite good grammar and spelling, an excessively smooth text can be a sign of AI. Watch for:

No mistakes and errors: The text is completely free of typical human mistakes.
Consistency of tense and voice: There is no change of tense or narrative voice in it.
Artificial flow: The content might lack a natural rhythm or feel overly edited.

What to look for to corroborate those suspicions

If you are still in doubt that whether the content is computer-generated, have a look at more tips:

Search specific phrases: Copy and paste a unique phrase into a search engine to see if it appears elsewhere.
Check the author’s identity: Search for the author by name to see other writings or profiles of that person.
Use AI detection tools: Some of these tools can automatically analyze text and give you an idea about whether it is likely to be produced by AI.

Conclusion

A pre-requisite skill in the digital age is detecting AI-generated content. Repetitive sentences, lack of personal touch, weird word choices, emotional depth, and being overly polished are signs that If you spot some or all of these signs, your writing is possibly generated by a GenAI. Keep yourself knowledgeable about the world around you and you will have no problem coming to content with a far more critical eye when rendering your judgements. Stay informed and critical, and you’ll navigate content with greater confidence.