Spotting AI-tells in copy
Phrasings and patterns that signal the AI didn't fully ground — and how to fix them.
The classic tells
When AI copy hasn't grounded properly, it falls back on filler. Once you can spot the patterns, you'll see them everywhere:
- Empty superlatives — "world-class", "cutting-edge", "industry-leading", "best-in-class".
- Hollow openers — "In today's fast-paced world…", "When it comes to…".
- Vague promises — "solutions tailored to your needs" that never say what the solution is.
- Triplets everywhere — every sentence built from three adjectives or three clauses.
- No specifics — paragraphs that could belong to any business in any town.
The common thread is that none of it could only be true of you.
How to fix them in one pass
Most tells disappear with a quick edit:
- Delete the filler opener and start with the real point.
- Replace adjectives with facts — not "highly experienced" but "trading since 2009".
- Name things — the service, the area, the guarantee.
- Cut one of every three adjectives. The sentence almost always improves.
- Read it aloud. Anything you'd never say to a customer's face, change.
Usually the cause is thin source material, so adding a specific note and rewriting fixes it at the root.
When to retype the whole block
Sometimes editing isn't worth it. If a block is generic top to bottom — no facts to keep, just air — it's faster to bin it and write three plain sentences yourself. Retype from scratch when:
- The block makes no concrete claim you can salvage.
- It carries an important promise you want to word precisely.
- It's the hero, where every word counts.
A good test: cover the logo and read the paragraph. If it could be any competitor's, it isn't finished.
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