Introduction
Since the late 2020s, the internet has been flooded with AI-generated content. While convenient, it’s becoming harder to tell whether what you’re reading was written by a human.
Let’s explore how you can recognize an AI-written article.
Sign 1: Vague but Positive-Sounding Statements
AI tends to avoid controversy, using abstract and safe phrases like
“It’s important to strike a balance,” or “We should be mindful of our choices.”
It often sounds like a motivational poster or a school ethics textbook.
Sign 2: Overly Structured Format
Human writing often meanders or digresses. In contrast, AI-generated articles follow a perfect headline → subheading → conclusion structure.
It’s neat—maybe too neat—like reading PowerPoint slides.
Sign 3: Excessive Helpfulness
Phrases like “To summarize,” “The key takeaway is…” show up frequently. AI wants to guide you through the logic step by step, but the excessive clarity can feel oddly unnatural.
Sign 4: Lack of Firsthand Information
AI can only generate content based on its training data. It doesn’t conduct interviews or have lived experiences.
So you’ll often find general statements like “According to studies,” or “Many people feel that…” but rarely find firsthand observations or unique insights.
Sign 5: No Emotional Fluctuations
AI struggles with expressing raw, inconsistent emotions.
You won’t find phrases like “This pissed me off!” or “Honestly, I hesitated a lot…” Instead, the tone remains calm, rational, and eerily consistent throughout.
Sign 6: Untraceable Claims
Statements like “Experts say…” or “It is generally believed…” are classic AI hedges. They shift responsibility without citing actual sources.
Sign 7: Uniform Style with No Personality
AI-generated text is smooth but lacks voice or individuality.
The tone doesn’t change, no slang or quirks appear, and it feels like it could have been written by anyone—or no one.
Conclusion
If you noticed this article was unusually structured, overly polite, and weirdly consistent—congratulations.
That’s exactly how you recognize AI-generated content.
And just to drive the point home: yes, this article was written by AI. Did you spot it from the start?