Humanize

humanize · 人間

人間 · にんげん — "human being". Makes AI-generated text sound like a real person wrote it.

Based on research from: Grammarly, MIT Technology Review, GPTZero, QuillBot, Reddit (r/auscorp, r/cybersecurity), Hacker News, Stack Overflow, JustDone, print-css.rocks, BrowserStack, pdf4.dev benchmarks, and professional writing guides (2024–2026).

Core metrics AI detectors measure

Sources: GPTZero, QuillBot, MIT Technology Review, Google Brain research (Ippolito et al. 2020)

The 16 AI tells (how to spot them)

1. Overused buzzwords (Grammarly 2026, Reddit)

2. Mechanical connectors (GPTZero research)

• "Moreover", "Furthermore", "Nevertheless", "Consequently" → use "Also", "But", "So" or nothing
• "However" every 3 paragraphs → cut half, let it flow
• "Nevertheless", "Therefore", "Consequently" → replace with "So", "Then", "That means"

3. Perfect symmetrical structure (MIT Tech Review)

LLMs generate paragraphs of the same length, same structure: intro → point → example → conclusion.

Fix: Break the pattern. One-line paragraph. Then a long one. List. Then another short one.

4. Low burstiness (QuillBot, pdf4.dev)

AI produces sentences of similar length. Humans alternate:

• Short sentence. Impact.
• Then a longer one that develops the idea with more detail and nuance, adding context.
• Another short one.

5. Absolute neutrality (r/auscorp, Reddit)

AI never takes a position. Sounds like a wiki. Fix: Add opinion, judgment, acknowledged bias. "We don't like this", "This is well done", "This is debatable".

6. Forced transitions (HN, cybersecurity forums)

"It is important to note that...", "It is worth mentioning that...", "It should be noted that..." → delete all. If the sentence doesn't work without the crutch, rewrite it.

7. Numbers and statistics without source

AI invents data that "sounds good". E.g.: "Studies show that 80% of users..." Fix: If there's no real source, don't put a number. Use "many", "most", "it's common".

8. Excessive passive voice

"It was carried out", "It has been determined", "It can be observed" Fix: Active. "We carried out", "We determined", "We observe"

9. Empty hyperbole (r/cybersecurity)

"Critical", "Massive", "Transformative", "Revolutionary" without backup. Fix: Concrete data or measured language.

10. Closing with rhetorical question

"Are you ready for the future?", "Can you imagine a world where...?" Fix: Close with a statement or direct call to action.

11. Uniform paragraph length

AI: all paragraphs 3-5 lines. Human: natural mix of 1 line with 8 lines.

12. Lack of colloquialisms

AI doesn't use "well", "look", "you see", "the thing is", "let's see". Real speech has filler words. Fix: Add controlled natural language. Don't overdo it, but loosen up.

13. Too formal for the context

An internal report written like an academic paper. An email like a formal letter. Fix: Match the register to the channel and audience.

14. No errors or imperfections

AI has no typos, doesn't repeat a word by accident, doesn't rephrase. Fix: Do NOT introduce artificial errors. But allow natural asymmetry.

15. No contractions or contracted forms

AI: "do not", "cannot", "will not", "it is", "I am", "they are" Human: "don't", "can't", "won't", "it's", "I'm", "they're" (in English)

16. Em dash (—) as universal connector

AI abuses the em dash — as a universal connector. Typical pattern:

❌ AI:   Black Box — no previous credentials
❌ AI:   WordPress — updated to latest version
❌ AI:   Admin panel — accessible without restrictions

A human normally uses:

✅ Real: Black Box (no previous credentials)
✅ Real: WordPress updated to latest version
✅ Real: Admin panel accessible without restrictions

The real em dash is used for asides or tone shifts, not as glue between label and value. If you see multiple lines with — in a row, it's AI.

Fix: replace — with parentheses, comma, colon, or simply nothing. If the — separates a label from its value, the label or the dash is probably unnecessary.

Workflow

Step 1: Detect

Read the full text. Mark every instance of:

• Buzzwords (list above)
• Mechanical connectors
• Identical-length paragraphs
• Chained passive voice
• Unsupported hyperbole
• Absolute neutrality
• Transition crutches

Step 2: Prune

Delete everything that is filler:

• "It is important to note that" → [delete]
• "It is worth mentioning that" → [delete]
• "It should be pointed out that" → [delete]
• "As previously mentioned" → [delete]
• "In today's world" → [delete]