Everyone’s obsessed with playing detective these days, hunting for the secret sauce that screams ‘AI wrote this!’
From clunky phrases to suspiciously perfect grammar, the internet’s buzzing with so-called ‘identifiers’ to sniff out machine-made content.
But are these clues genius or just plain goofy?
We cornered a crew of SEO sharpshooters, content wizards, and business bigwigs to spill the tea: which of these popular AI giveaways makes them cringe, or flat-out roll their eyes—and why?
Buckle up for some unfiltered takes that’ll make you rethink the bot-spotting game.
Read on!
Kevin Baragona
Oddly Formal Tone: I would emphasize that AI has a tendency to write in a formal, professional tone even when the subject calls for casual or humorous language.
This mismatch often feels amusingly off, like a robot trying to explain memes in legal jargon. For instance, AI-generated content may describe a funny cat video as “a visual representation of feline antics,” which can come across as unintentionally comical.
Excessive Hedging: AI content often includes qualifiers like “likely,” “possibly,” or “may” to avoid definitive statements.
While this caution is intended to sound balanced, it can make the writing feel annoyingly non-committal, as though the AI is trying too hard to not offend anyone. I suggest recognizing this tendency and striving for more confident language in AI-generated content.
Kevin Baragona
Founder, DeepAI
Karan Singh Bhakuni
The discussion around identifying AI-generated content has become quite prominent, and one commonly listed identifier that I find both amusing and problematic is the “hallucinated facts” criterion.
What makes this amusing is how humans are often criticized for “hallucinating” information, yet AI-generated content is held to a higher standard, expected to provide perfectly factual information.
However, the reality is that while AI can generate plausible-sounding content, it often lacks the context, nuance, and depth that come from human understanding.
The notion that AI-generated content must meet a standard of perfect facticity often misses the broader picture of creativity, interpretation, and human expertise.
In my view, focusing on such narrow criteria can hinder the acceptance of AI-generated content, especially in creative domains where context and human experience play a vital role.
Karan Singh Bhakuni
CEO, Poper
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Authenticity has always been important in content marketing, and now it is even more critical with so much generic and robotic content being generated with ChatGPT/AI. Consumers are becoming increasingly discerning, and they can quickly identify content that feels forced or inauthentic.
While your competition generates robotic messages that sound generic/uninspired you can stand out and break through the sea of sameness with personalized thoughtful communication serving their specific needs.
Building connections and relationships with your audience and showing your humanity is more important than ever!
Beware of generic, repetitive, vague/bland, short sentences filled with buzzwords and jargon. Other red flags include weak comparisons using “like” or “it’s like,” no emotion or personal stories, gross inaccuracies/errors or the tone/voice is off/unfamiliar vs. past experience.
The key is to add a human voice and touch sharing your knowledge/stories to connect on a personal level with your audience.
Paige Arnof-Fenn
Founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls
Chris Bajda
One term that always gets a chuckle out of me is “overly formal tone.”
It’s amusing because, while humans can certainly write formally, AI-generated content often takes it to another level, making even casual topics sound like legal documents.
On the problematic side, the idea that “repetition of certain phrases” flags AI content can be misleading. Humans repeat themselves too, especially when they’re passionate or trying to emphasize a point.
The real challenge is that these identifiers are often based on stereotypes of how AI writes, which can lead to false positives and an unfair dismissal of genuine human writing that just happens to share some traits with AI output.
Chris Bajda
Managing Partner, Groomsday
Dr Maria Knobel
The term “flawless grammar and punctuation” makes no sense, therefore I chuckle.
Even professionals make small mistakes when they write, like forgetting to use commas or putting words in the wrong order.
These mistakes can’t be seen by reading the text, but some people think AI-generated writing is too perfect.
People don’t mind small mistakes, but tools are regularly checked to make sure they work. People are suspicious of finished work that does not have those special touches.
I run a website for people who want to become doctors, so I see this difference a lot.
Some works that were written by AI have perfect grammar but don’t seem natural. Something might feel closer and more trustworthy if it has a mistake like missing a stop.
Even with a few errors, real writing connects with readers. Its faults make it almost genuine.
Dr Maria Knobel
Medical Director, Medical Cert UK
Chris Dukich
One of the most amusing identifiers for AI-generated content is the idea that it’s “too polished” or “overly perfect.”
While AI tools can produce well-structured text, the notion that human writing is inherently messy and flawed underestimates human capability. Plenty of skilled writers produce clear, polished work—so does that make them AI?
The real challenge is that these identifiers, like “repetitive phrasing” or “lack of personality,” aren’t exclusive to AI. Humans can fall into repetitive patterns or lack originality just as often. Ironically, AI tools are learning to mimic imperfections to appear more “human.”
The fixation on identifying AI content risks becoming counterproductive. Instead of hunting for quirks, we should focus on the quality, accuracy, and intent of the content—regardless of whether a human or machine wrote it.
Chris Dukich
Owner, Display Now
Robin Fishley
One of the most problematic ‘identifiers’ of AI-generated content is the focus on an overly balanced or neutral perspective.
Critics often suggest AI lacks strong opinions, but this misrepresents its capabilities. Advanced AI models are designed to mimic human tone and rhetoric, and when prompted, they can craft persuasive arguments or narratives just as effectively as human writers.
Dismissing neutrality as an AI ‘tell’ ignores that many skilled writers intentionally strike a balanced tone for clarity or professionalism.
Another flawed identifier is the notion that AI content lacks creativity or complex sentence structures.
Modern AI can simulate highly intricate writing, including metaphors, storytelling, and layered arguments, especially when trained on specific domains.
For example, distinguishing AI from an expert-crafted technical article is becoming nearly impossible without forensic tools.
Relying on simplistic identifiers undermines the sophistication of both human and AI content. Instead of these assumptions, we need stronger frameworks—like verifying originality or factual accuracy—to judge content quality.
Robin Fishley
SEO Director, DesignRush
Nahi Kim
AI tends to overuse words like “crucial” and “master” to the point of obsession.
Phrases like “When learning about x or starting out in z, it’s crucial to…” are so obvious and trite that they add no real meaning or value.
“Master your workflow” and “Master the latest trends of …” are also major red flags–they’re no better than empty filler words in a conversation.
While these terms aren’t inherently bad, AI’s repeated use of them to emphasize points (and create a tone of authority and expertise) results in fluffy writing that lacks depth and substance.
Those using AI need to be wary of this tendency and make sure their content goes beyond surface-level phrasing by bringing new ideas and insights to the table.
Cache Merrill
One of the most amusing identifiers I’ve come across is the claim that AI-generated content “lacks personality” or “feels robotic.”
Ironically, humans can produce flat, formulaic work, while AI models like GPT-4 are now capable of weaving humor, wit, and creativity into prose.
The real issue lies in overgeneralizing identifiers: phrases like “repetitive wording” or “overly polished sentences” can describe an eager intern’s first draft as much as an AI.
A problematic trend is using linguistic quirks—like “surprisingly” or “in today’s world”—as a smoking gun for AI. These are also human habits, especially in business and academic writing.
As AI evolves, these identifiers risk turning into false flags.
Instead of fixating on finding “tells,” perhaps we should focus on content quality. Whether it’s written by a human or a machine, meaningful, authentic work will always stand out.
Cache Merrill
Founder, Zibtek
Deepak Shukla
One particularly amusing “identifier” is the claim that AI-written content often lacks “human emotion” or “creativity.”
In reality, AI can mimic various writing styles and tones, sometimes even outpacing human writers in efficiency and adaptability.
On the other hand, a problematic identifier is the assumption that AI-generated content is always “perfectly structured.”
In many cases, this can lead to overly formulaic or generic content that lacks the nuance and depth only a human touch can bring. It’s important to strike a balance when assessing AI-generated content.
Deepak Shukla
Founder, Pearl Lemon PR
On behalf of the BoostMyDomain community of readers, we thank these leaders and experts for taking the time to share valuable insights that stem from years of experience and in-depth expertise in their respective niches.
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