Can you tell when it's AI and does it matter?

It feels like AI’s writing a lot of what we see online now. Some of it's great. Some of it?  Well, some of it is fairly pants, yes? Flat, over polished, or riddled with half truth hallucinogens. I think the question isn’t "Is this AI?" I think the question is "Why is this posted, does it add value and is it good enough to blow 3 minutes of my coffee break?"

People can tell if its AI written (probably).

They might not always know why, but something feels off. The tone’s too smooth. The icons are many and too perfectly anecdotal. The message lacks….. fingerprints, but if a human runs a draft through AI and then curates the post, perhaps that’s OK?

Here’s how you can tell a piece was likely written (or heavily shaped) by AI and how to make sure your content still carries your voice, even if you used AI to draft it.

The Tells

• The tone is oddly formal or neutral. No grit. No spark.
• The structure is a tidy sandwich of intro, bullet list, recap.
• Phrases like “typically,” “in general,” “that being said” start repeating.
• The visuals look like they were pulled from an AI’s clipart folder—think glowing brains and rocket ships.
• And worst of all: confident statements that aren’t quite right. Sounds slick, but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Why It Matters Because people engage with personality. With honesty. With texture. If you're sharing a LinkedIn post, a thought piece, or even a strategy deck it’s your voice they want. Not a system-generated best guess next word predictor.

Note: AI language models are next-word predictors trained over huge databases.

And sure, using AI is fine. Smart, even. I use it daily. But I don’t let it flatten what makes me, me. Your brand will go out the window and your differentiators will evaporate if you directly publish AI without curation.

How to hide the tells (sharing as its in my interest, see later)

1. Inject your voice. Say it how you'd actually say it. Drop in opinion. Use real-world phrasing. Example? I once scrapped a whole polished AI draft and rewrote it at 11pm just to sound like I gave a damn. And it performed well.
2. Change the rhythm. Humans don’t write like textbooks. Some lines are long. Others punch. Let it breathe.
3. Add specifics. “AI is changing content creation” is vague. “I used AI to draft a client pitch it nailed the structure, but I had to rewrite every joke” is real.
4. Watch the visuals. Icons and images are part of your voice. If your slides are filled with glowing circuits and gradient gears, it’s time for an icon detox. Even if I do like a picture, cliché icons feel like a no no.
5. Fact-check “Trust but validate” If it sounds impressive but you’re not sure it’s true? Don’t risk it. Hallucinations love to dress up as insights and unfounded assertions.
6. Horizontal breaks a sure fire way of raising suspicion

Apologies for the shameless cliché use of a cat in the photo - is it iconic (4)? The internet loves cats. Hopefully you do too.

Final word? Don’t fight the tools. Use them. Shape them. Don’t disappear behind them. What do you think?

Happy Friday. Best regards RichFM.

FYI I am the founder of GhostGen.AI - Feed your AI GhostGen. Fuel your genius.

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