I’ve been able to spot AI-generated content for over a decade. And now that ChatGPT and similar tools have been widely used for so long, almost everyone else can spot it too.

Especially when it contains a few so-called “human touch” tricks that are actually very easy to recognize once you know what to look for.

Let me explain.

This Isn’t New for Me

Look, I helped create part of this machine-mad-libs-style content world over 15 years ago when I co-invented a platform that wrote everything from millions of funny Yahoo Fantasy Football recaps every week to thousands of highly formal Associated Press financial articles every quarter.

So I’ve been inside this system for a long time.

Long enough that I can’t “unsee” it anymore.

When you’ve spent enough time around automated text generation, you start noticing patterns everywhere — in tone, structure, phrasing, even emotional rhythm.

And now, those patterns are not just limited to niche systems anymore. They’re mainstream.

The “Human Touch” Illusion

One of the most interesting things about modern AI writing is how it tries to feel human.

It adds small emotional signals, soft transitions, conversational phrases, and balanced sentences designed to sound natural.

But ironically, those same attempts often make it more recognizable, not less.

Because real human writing is inconsistent. It drifts. It hesitates. It sometimes over-explains and sometimes under-explains.

AI writing, even when it tries to sound human, often feels too smooth. Too structured. Too evenly paced.

Once you notice that pattern, it becomes difficult to ignore.

The Common Signs People Can Now Spot

You probably already know at least a few of these signals, even if you haven’t consciously named them yet.

I’m going to lay them out from the most obvious to the least obvious.

1. Overly Balanced Structure

AI content often feels neatly divided into sections, with clear symmetry between ideas. While that looks organized, it can feel artificial in long-form writing.

2. Predictable Transitions

Phrases like “let’s explore,” “it’s important to note,” or “this leads us to” show up frequently. They act as bridges, but too many of them create a mechanical rhythm.

3. Emotion Without Weight

AI can describe emotions, but it often lacks the lived-in texture of real experience. It tells you how something feels without fully showing the messiness of it.

4. Safe Language Choices

You’ll rarely see strong contradictions, awkward honesty, or risky phrasing. Everything stays within a comfortable, polished range.

5. Generalized Insight

Instead of sharp, specific observations, AI often produces statements that feel broadly correct but not deeply personal.

Why This Matters Now

We are entering a time where written content is everywhere — blogs, social media posts, newsletters, articles, even books — and a large portion of it is being assisted or fully generated by AI.

That doesn’t automatically make it bad.

But it does change how we read.

Readers are no longer just consuming information. They are unconsciously evaluating authenticity.

They are asking, even without realizing it:

Does this feel lived? Or does this feel generated?

My Take on Using ChatGPT

Go for it.

Seriously.

I’m not here to say you shouldn’t use these tools. That would be unrealistic and, frankly, outdated thinking.

AI can help you write faster, think clearer, and organize ideas more effectively.

But here’s the important part: don’t let it replace your voice.

Use it as a tool, not a substitute for lived experience.

Because the more AI-generated content floods the internet, the more valuable real human perspective becomes.

Not perfect writing.

Not polished writing.

But real writing.

Final Thought

The irony is simple.

The better AI becomes at sounding human, the more people start valuing writing that doesn’t sound perfect at all.

And maybe that’s the real shift happening right now.

Not a loss of human writing.

But a rediscovery of it.

If you want, I can also: