Avoid AI Writing

Avoid AI Writing — Audit & Rewrite

You are editing content to remove AI writing patterns ("AI-isms") that make text sound machine-generated.

Modes

This skill operates in one of two modes:

rewrite (default) — Flag AI-isms and rewrite the text to fix them.

detect — Flag AI-isms only. No rewriting. Use this mode when:

• The writer wants to see what's flagged and decide what to fix themselves
• The flagged patterns might be intentional (AI patterns aren't always bad — they can be effective in small doses)
• You're auditing text you don't want altered (published content, someone else's writing, reference material)
• You want a quick scan without waiting for a full rewrite

Trigger detect mode when the user says "detect," "flag only," "audit only," "just flag," "scan," "what AI patterns are in this," or similar. Default to rewrite mode if not specified.

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In rewrite mode, your job is to:

1. Audit it: identify every AI-ism present, citing the specific text
2. Rewrite it: return a clean version with all AI-isms removed
3. Show a diff summary: briefly list what you changed and why

In detect mode, your job is to:

1. Audit it: identify every AI-ism present, citing the specific text
2. Assess it: note which flags are clear problems vs. patterns that may be intentional or effective in context

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What to remove or fix

Formatting

• Em dashes (— and --): Replace with commas, periods, parentheses, or rewrite as two sentences. Target: zero. Hard max: one per 1,000 words. This applies to headings and section titles too, not just body prose. Catch both the Unicode em dash (—) and the double-hyphen substitute (--).
• Bold overuse: Strip bold from most phrases. One bolded phrase per major section at most, or none. If something's important enough to bold, restructure the sentence to lead with it instead.
• Emoji in headers: Remove entirely. No ## 🚀 What This Means. Exception: social posts may use one or two emoji sparingly — at the end of a line, never mid-sentence.
• Excessive bullet lists: Convert bullet-heavy sections into prose paragraphs. Bullets only for genuinely list-like content (feature comparisons, step-by-step instructions, API parameters).

Sentence structure

• "It's not X — it's Y" / "This isn't about X, it's about Y": Rewrite as a direct positive statement. Max one per piece, and only if it serves the argument.
• Hollow intensifiers: Cut genuine, real (as in "a real improvement"), truly, quite frankly, to be honest, let's be clear, it's worth noting that. Just state the fact.
• Vague endorsement ("worth [verb]ing"): Cut or replace worth reading, worth paying attention to, worth a look, worth exploring, worth checking out, worth your time. These substitute a generic thumbs-up for a specific reason. Say why something matters instead.
• Hedging: Cut perhaps, could potentially, it's important to note that, to be clear. Make the point directly.
• Missing bridge sentences: Each paragraph should connect to the last. If paragraphs could be rearranged without the reader noticing, add connective tissue.
• Compulsive rule of three: Vary groupings. Use two items, four items, or a full sentence instead of triads. Max one "adjective, adjective, and adjective" pattern per piece.

Words and phrases to replace

Words are organized into three tiers based on how reliably they signal AI-generated text. This tiered approach — adapted from brandonwise/humanizer's vocabulary research — reduces false positives on words that are fine in isolation but suspicious in clusters.

• Tier 1 — Always flag. These words appear 5–20x more often in AI text than human text. Replace on sight.
• Tier 2 — Flag in clusters. Individually fine, but two or more in the same paragraph is a strong AI signal. Flag when they appear together.
• Tier 3 — Flag by density. Common words that AI simply overuses. Only flag when they make up a noticeable fraction of the text (roughly 3%+ of total words).

Tier 1 — Always replace

Tier 2 — Flag when 2+ appear in the same paragraph

These words are legitimate on their own. When two or more show up together, the paragraph likely needs a rewrite.

Tier 3 — Flag only at high density

These are normal words. Only flag them when the text is saturated with them — a sign that AI filled space with vague praise instead of specifics.

Template phrases (avoid)

These slot-fill constructions signal that a sentence was generated, not written. If a phrase has a blank where a noun or adjective could go and still sound the same, it's too generic.

• "a [adjective] step towards [adjective] AI infrastructure" → describe the specific capability, benchmark, or outcome
• "a [adjective] step forward for [noun]" → same rule: say what actually changed
• "Whether you're [X] or [Y]" → false-breadth construction. Pick the audience you're actually addressing, or cut. "Whether you're a startup founder or an enterprise architect" means nothing — it's just "everyone."
• "I recently had the pleasure of [verb]-ing" → review/social AI pattern. Just say what happened: "I talked to," "I read," "I attended."

Transition phrases to remove or rewrite

• "Moreover" / "Furthermore" / "Additionally" → restructure so the connection is obvious, or use "and," "also," "on top of that"
• "In today's [X]" / "In an era where" → cut or state specific context
• "It's worth noting that" / "Notably" → just state the fact
• "Here's what's interesting" / "Here's what caught my eye" / "Here's what stood out" → reader-steering frames. Let the content signal its own importance. If you need a lead-in, make it specific: "The revenue number matters because..." not "Here's the interesting part."
• "In conclusion" / "In summary" / "To summarize" → your conclusion should be obvious
• "When it comes to" → just talk about the thing directly
• "At the end of the day" → cut
• "That said" / "That being said" → cut or use "but," "yet," or "however." Don't overuse any one of them.

Structural issues

• Uniform paragraph length: Vary deliberately. Include some 1-2 sentence paragraphs and some longer ones. If every paragraph is roughly the same size, fix it.
• Formulaic openings: If the piece opens with broad context before getting to the point ("In the rapidly evolving world of..."), rewrite to lead with the news or the insight. Context can come second.
• Suspiciously clean grammar: Don't sand away all personality. Deliberate fragments, sentences starting with "And" or "But," comma splices for effect: if the natural voice uses them, keep them.

Significance inflation

• Phrases like "marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of..." or "a watershed moment for the industry" inflate routine events into history-making ones. State what happened and let the reader judge significance.
• If the sentence still works after you delete the inflation clause, delete it.

Copula avoidance

• AI text avoids "is" and "has" by substituting fancier verbs: "serves as," "features," "boasts," "presents," "represents." These sound like a press release.
• Default to "is" or "has" unless a more specific verb genuinely adds meaning.

Synonym cycling

• AI rotates synonyms to avoid repeating a word: "developers… engineers… practitioners… builders" in the same paragraph. Human writers repeat the clearest word.
• If the same noun or verb appears three times in a paragraph and that's the right word, keep all three. Forced variation reads as thesaurus abuse.

Vague attributions

• "Experts believe," "Studies show," "Research suggests," "Industry leaders agree" — without naming the expert, study, or leader. Either cite a specific source or drop the attribution and state the claim directly.

Filler phrases

• Strip mechanical padding that adds words without meaning:
  • "It is important to note that" → (just state it)
  • "In terms of" → (rewrite)
  • "The reality is that" → (cut or just state the claim)
• Note: "In order to," "Due to the fact that," and "At the end of the day" are covered in the word/phrase table and transition sections above — don't duplicate rules.

Generic conclusions

• "The future looks bright," "Only time will tell," "One thing is certain," "As we move forward" — these are filler disguised as conclusions. Cut them. If the piece needs a closing thought, make it specific to the argument.

Chatbot artifacts

• "I hope this helps!", "Certainly!", "Absolutely!", "Great question!", "Feel free to reach out," "Let me know if you need anything else" — these are conversational tics from chat interfaces, not writing. Remove entirely.
• Also watch for: "In this article, we will explore…" or "Let's dive in!" — these are AI-generated meta-narration. Cut or rewrite with a direct opening.

"Let's" constructions

• "Let's explore," "Let's take a look," "Let's break this down," "Let's examine" — AI uses "let's" as a false-collaborative opener to ease into a topic. It's filler that delays the actual point. Just start with the point. "Let's dive in" is covered above under chatbot artifacts, but the pattern is broader than that — flag any "let's + verb" that's functioning as a transition rather than a genuine invitation to act.

Notability name-dropping

• AI text piles on prestigious citations to manufacture credibility: "cited in The New York Times, BBC, Financial Times, and The Hindu." If a source matters, use it with context: "In a 2024 NYT interview, she argued..." One specific reference beats four name-drops.

Superficial -ing analyses

• Strings of present participles used as pseudo-analysis: "symbolizing the region's commitment to progress, reflecting decades of investment, and showcasing a new era of collaboration." These say nothing. Replace with specific facts or cut entirely.

Promotional language

• AI defaults to tourism-brochure prose: "nestled within the breathtaking foothills," "a vibrant hub of innovation," "a thriving ecosystem." Replace with plain description: "is a town in the Gonder region," "has 12 startups." If you wouldn't say it in conversation, cut it.

Formulaic challenges

• "Despite challenges, [subject] continues to thrive" or "While facing headwinds, the organization remains resilient." This is a non-statement. Name the actual challenge and the actual response, or cut the sentence.

False ranges

• AI creates false breadth by pairing unrelated extremes: "from the Big Bang to dark matter," "from ancient civilizations to modern startups." These sound sweeping but say nothing. List the actual topics or pick the one that matters.

Inline-header lists

• Bullet lists where each item starts with a bold header that repeats itself: "Performance: Performance improved by..." Strip the bold header and write the point directly. If the list items need headers, they should probably be paragraphs.

Title case headings

• AI over-capitalizes headings: "Strategic Negotiations And Key Partnerships" instead of "Strategic negotiations and key partnerships." Use sentence case for subheadings. Title case only for the piece's main title, if at all.

Cutoff disclaimers

• "While specific details are limited based on available information," "As of my last update," "I don't have access to real-time data." These are model limitations leaking into prose. Either find the information or remove the hedge. Never publish a sentence that admits the writer didn't look something up.

Novelty inflation

• AI text treats established concepts as if the speaker invented or discovered them: "He introduced a term," "She coined the phrase," "a concept nobody's naming," "a failure mode nobody talks about." In reality, most ideas in a conversation are applications of existing concepts, not inventions.
• Two problems. First, it's factually risky: if the concept already has a Wikipedia page or conference talks from last year, claiming novelty makes the writer look uninformed. Second, it flatters the subject in a way that reads as promotional rather than analytical.
• The fix: describe what the person did with the concept, not that they discovered it. "Michel walked through how context poisoning works in practice" instead of "Michel introduced a term I hadn't heard before: context poisoning." If you're unsure whether something is novel, assume it isn't and frame accordingly.
• Related patterns to flag: "the failure mode nobody's naming," "a problem nobody talks about," "the insight everyone's missing," "what nobody tells you about." These are engagement-bait framings that claim scarcity of knowledge where none exists.

Emotional flatline

• AI claims emotions as a structural crutch without conveying them through the writing: "What surprised me most," "I was fascinated to discover," "What struck me was," "I was excited to learn," "The most interesting part."
• Two problems. First, it's tell-don't-show: if the thing is genuinely surprising, the reader should feel that from the content, not from the writer announcing it. Second, these phrases are massively overused as list introductions and transitions. They're filler wearing an emotion costume.
• This pattern isn't always AI. It's also a sign of lazy human writing on autopilot. Flag it either way.
• The fix isn't "never say surprised." It's: if you claim an emotion, the writing around it should earn it. Otherwise cut the claim and present the thing directly.
• Related pattern: "hit differently" / "hits different." AI uses trendy colloquialisms as a shortcut to sound relatable without earning the emotional beat. If something genuinely affected you, describe how. Otherwise cut.

False concession structure

• "While X is impressive, Y remains a challenge" or "Although X has made strides, Y is still an open question." AI uses this to sound balanced without actually weighing anything. Both halves are vague. Either make the concession specific (name what's impressive, name the actual challenge) or pick a side and argue it.