I’m trying to figure out whether a piece of writing I received was created by AI or a real person. The wording feels polished but also repetitive and a little unnatural, and now I’m second-guessing it. I need help spotting reliable signs of AI-generated content and learning what tools or methods actually work.
A few signs help, but none prove it on their own.
- Repetition. AI text often repeats the same point with slightly different wording.
- Smooth but empty phrasing. It sounds polished, yet says little.
- Odd wording. You get phrases a person in your field would not pick.
- Flat rhythm. Sentences stay the same length and tone for too long.
- Weak specifics. Names, dates, examples, and source details stay vague.
- Fake certainty. It states things cleanly even when the topic is messy.
- Bad citations. Links go nowhere, quotes dont exist, stats lack a source.
What to do:
Paste a short section into a search engine. Check if phrases show up all over.
Ask the writer one follow-up question about a specific claim. Human writers usually expand fast. AI-assisted text often gets fuzzy.
Look for version history if it came from Docs or Word.
Run it through 2 or 3 AI detectors, but do not trust them alone. False positives happen a lot.
Best test is this. Does the piece show real knowledge, real choices, and real specifics. If not, be skeptical.
One thing I’d add to what @caminantenocturno said: check for decision-making. Human writing usually leaves fingerprints of preference. Not just “here are facts,” but “I chose this example because…” or “I’m not fully convinced by X, so I went with Y.” AI can imitate that, sure, but it often does it in a weirdly generic way.
Also, I wouldn’t overrate “polished = AI.” Plenty of real people write clean copy, and plenty of humans are repetitive as hell. So that part alone is kinda flimsy.
A few extra tells:
- Ask for the draft before the final version. Humans often have messy earlier wording.
- Look for tiny inconsistencies in viewpoint. AI sometimes shifts audience, tone, or purpose mid-piece.
- Check whether the metaphors actually fit. AI loves a shiny phrase that falls apart if you stare at it for 10 seconds.
- See if it handles pushback well. If you question one paragraph and ask for a rewrite, a real writer usually sharpens it. AI-assisted stuff sometimes gets broader and vaguer.
Honestly the best test is interactive. Don’t just inspect the text like it’s a crime scene. Ask the writer why they phrased certian parts that way. That’s where things get real fast.
Big thing people miss: context fit.
A text can sound smooth and still be human. What makes me suspicious is when the writing is technically fine but oddly detached from the situation it’s supposed to belong to. Like:
- it answers a broader question than the one asked
- it defines obvious terms nobody in that audience needed defined
- it avoids concrete stakes
- it lands on “balanced” conclusions where a real person would usually commit harder
That last one matters. AI often writes like it’s trying not to get yelled at.
I partly disagree with treating repetition as a major clue. Some humans absolutely loop the same point three ways because they’re drafting while thinking. AI repetition feels different. It tends to be structural. Same sentence rhythm, same paragraph shape, same “point, caveat, summary” pattern over and over.
A couple checks I use that are different from what @caminantenocturno brought up:
-
Compression test
Cut the piece by 40 percent. Human-written stuff usually has a backbone, so it survives trimming. AI-heavy writing often collapses fast because a lot of it was padding. -
Specificity under constraints
Ask for one paragraph rewritten with strict limits: one example, one claim, no filler. AI can do it, sure, but weak AI-assisted writing often loses confidence when forced to be precise. -
Knowledge friction
Look for where the writer should have had to struggle. Real expertise leaves unevenness. Strong sections, rushed sections, oddly passionate details. AI often smooths everything into the same temperature.
Pros of using AI for writing: fast drafting, decent structure, can clean up messy thoughts.
Cons: fake confidence, generic phrasing, shallow specificity, and that weird “this sounds correct until you look closely” effect.
So yeah, don’t ask “does this feel polished?” Ask “does this feel lived in?” That’s usually the better tell.