How to stop AI content sounding like AI: 12 specific edits

The 12 edits

Apply each one to any AI-written draft. Most take seconds.

1. Remove em-dashes (–)

The single most reliable AI tell in 2026. Almost no human writes mid-sentence with em-dashes; almost every AI does. Search-and-replace:

• , → , (most cases, comma replacement)
• word–word (no spaces) → use an en-dash – for ranges, or restructure

Eliminates ~30% of the AI-feel in one pass.

2. Strip the LLM filler words

Replace these every time:

Run a find-and-replace. Five minutes of cleanup.

3. Cut ” that…”

AI loves throat-clearing. Delete every "", “it should be noted”, “it’s worth highlighting”. State the thing directly.

Before: ” that AI doesn’t replace human judgement.”

After: “AI doesn’t replace human judgement.”

4. Break the perfect rhythm

AI defaults to sentences of similar length. Real writing varies. Mix short with long.

Before (AI default): “Australian small businesses face many challenges. AI tools can help with various tasks. Understanding which tools fit which use cases is important.”

After: “Australian small businesses face challenges. AI helps with some. Which tools fit which uses, though, depends on the work you do.”

5. Use specific over generic

Specific numbers, specific places, specific examples. AI defaults to generic.

Before: “Many Australian businesses use AI for various tasks.”

After: “About a third of our 48 client businesses use AI for inventory monitoring; another third use it for customer service; the rest are mixed.”

6. Add an opinion

AI defaults to balanced. Real writing takes a side. Pick a position; defend it.

Before: “There are advantages and disadvantages to both Claude and ChatGPT.”

After: “Claude wins on writing quality. ChatGPT wins on image generation and integrations. Most businesses pay for both. Anyone telling you to pick one is selling something.”

7. Drop the “in conclusion” wrap-up

AI loves to summarise at the end. Most articles don’t need it. Cut the last paragraph if it’s a recap.

If you need a closing, make it a specific call to action, not a summary.

8. Kill the bullet-point overload

AI defaults to bullets for everything. Use prose for narrative, bullets for genuinely list-like content.

If you have a paragraph that’s been bulletised, ask if it’d read better as a single tight paragraph. Often yes.

9. Use contractions

AI tends formal. Real writing uses “don’t”, “won’t”, “can’t” naturally. Force contractions where you’d speak them.

Before: “We do not believe AI will replace human writers.”

After: “We don’t think AI replaces human writers.”

10. Cut hedging language

AI hedges. “May”, “might”, “could potentially”, “in some cases”. Real writing commits.

Before: “AI might potentially be useful for some content tasks in certain contexts.”

After: “AI is useful for content. Sometimes. Not always.”

11. Replace the generic opening hook

AI defaults to “In today’s fast-paced digital world…” or similar throat-clearing intros. Open with something specific.

Before: “In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence…”

After: “Yesterday I watched Claude rewrite a 200-line script in 90 seconds. It made one mistake. I caught it. We shipped.”

12. Strip the “let me know if you have questions” closer

AI loves closing emails with offers to help further. Real business writing doesn’t always end that way.

Before: “I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or would like me to elaborate on any of the above.”

After: (delete)

Or:

After: “Reply if you want to dig into any of it.”

The single highest-use move: voice training

Once-off, then permanent. The pattern:

1. Find 10-15 of your past good writing (emails, blog posts, posts that performed)
2. Paste them into a Custom GPT (ChatGPT) or Claude Project
3. Add a system instruction: “Write in this voice. Match the rhythm, vocabulary, formality, and humour. Avoid em-dashes, ‘full’, ‘use’, ‘get into’, ‘navigate’, ”.”

Future outputs from that GPT/Project sound 80% like you by default. Saves 30-50% of the editing time vs. starting from a generic ChatGPT/Claude draft.

What this guide isn’t trying to do

• Hide AI use from readers. If you used AI, that’s fine; disclose if you want. The goal is quality, not deception.
• Game AI-detection tools. They’re unreliable. Optimise for human readers; the detectors take care of themselves.
• Make every piece sound informal. Match the voice to the audience. Corporate writing for a B2B audience reads differently from social copy for a Melbourne cafe. The principles apply; the surface varies.

The 30-second editing checklist

After AI generates a draft, in this order:

• Remove all em-dashes
• Find-and-replace the filler words list above
• Cut any "" / “basically” / “in conclusion” wrappers
• Read aloud, rewrite anything that sounds like a press release
• Add one specific number, name, or example from your real work
• Add one opinion that’s clearly yours, not the AI’s default balance
• Read the first paragraph: does it open with something specific?
• Read the last paragraph: does it close with action, not summary?

Eight checks. 5-10 minutes. Difference between obvious AI and “wait, did a human write this?”

What’s next

• How to write better AI prompts for the prompts that produce less generic output in the first place.
• How to use AI for SEO for the broader content workflow.
• AI for ad copywriting for the paid-channel content workflow.