While hunting for the latest business story in Calgary, I ran across a Reddit article from a Calgary-based business  providing “The Ultimate Guide to … Tires.” I don’t know a lot about tires but, the Consumer Reports article was more “ultimate” and I did see a lot of gaps about specific temperature ratings to know that this was just an “average guide to tires.” While Artificial intelligence is increasingly prevalent in our  lives, the quest to make AI-generated content more human-like has become a hot topic. As ChatGPT and other AI writing tools gain popularity, users are seeking ways to add that human touch to machine-generated text. But how can we teach a bot to write like a person? Let’s look at AI writing and explore ways to make it feel more human.

The Art of Imperfection

“AI writing often feels too polished, too perfect,” said no one. AI outputs are clumsy, wordy, adjective laden word heaps. Business owners, including those in Calgary don’t pay attention to this sloppy writing because they are either too busy to edit, don’t think anyone will notice, or hand the work of to someone for whom, English is not their first language.

A quick way to achieve better writing is by varying sentence structure. AI tends to fall into patterns, using similar sentence lengths and structures repeatedly. Human writers, on the other hand, mix it up. They use short, punchy sentences. Then they might follow with a longer, more complex one that weaves multiple ideas together. See what we did there?

Keep it Casual, Keep it Real

To get a better understanding of this topic, I spoke with David Howse at Matterhorn Business Solutions. David is an expert content writer and often teaches the Content Marketing course at Mount Royal University. Another key to human-like writing is adopting a more casual tone. AI often sounds like it’s giving a TED talk. But most of us don’t talk like that in real life. We use contractions, we start sentences with ‘And’ or ‘But’, and we’re not afraid to end a sentence with a preposition.

Idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms are also important in making writing feel more natural. Phrases like “break a leg” or “it’s raining cats and dogs” might confuse AI, but they’re second nature to human writers. By incorporating these elements, AI-generated text can start to sound less like a textbook and more like a conversation.

According to Howse, the primary mistakes businesses make include:

1. Lack of Human Oversight: Relying solely on AI without human review can lead to inaccuracies and tone mismatches.
2. Overreliance on AI-Generated Content: Failing to balance AI-generated content with human creativity and expertise.
3. Ignoring Brand Voice: Allowing AI to overshadow the unique personality and tone of the brand.
4. Neglecting Fact-Checking: Assuming AI-generated information is always accurate without verification.
5. Using Unusual Words: Accepting AI’s sometimes overly complex or inappropriate word choices.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of human-like writing for AI to master is emotional nuance. Humans don’t just convey information; we infuse our writing with feelings, attitudes, and subtle implications.

When writing, usually, you’re not just stating facts. Trying to make the reader feel something. AI needs to learn how to sprinkle in emotive language, use tone shifts, and create an emotional journey for the reader.

Spotting the Bot: AI’s Favorite Words

While we’re teaching AI to write more like humans, it’s also helpful to recognize the words and phrases that give away AI-generated content. In technical writing, business communications, blog posts, and website content, certain terms pop up with suspicious frequency:

• In an era where, Nowadays, and other redundant openings
• Dive into the world of
• Critical
• Crucial
• Ultimate (as in, the ultimate guide)
• Daunting
• Deep-dive
• Navigating
• Furthermore
• In conclusion

These words aren’t inherently bad but when you see them overused, especially in combination, it’s often a red flag that you’re reading AI-generated content.

The Human Touch in Action

To illustrate the difference, let’s compare two product descriptions:

AI-generated: “Our ultimate smartphone offers a plethora of critical features, providing users with a seamless experience. Furthermore, its daunting array of capabilities ensures optimal performance in various scenarios.”

Human-like: “This isn’t just another phone – it’s your new sidekick. Packed with cool features and smart tech, it’s ready to tackle whatever your day throws at you. And trust us, it can handle a lot!”

See the difference? The human-like version feels more relatable, uses casual language, and creates an emotional connection with the reader.