When Writing Gets Too Perfect: Navigating the AI-Generated Content Era 

I’m a huge fan of AI, especially ChatGPT. As someone who subscribes to ChatGPT’s pro model, I’ve seen how much AI can supercharge my daily work. Like many professionals, I rely on AI tools to handle routine tasks more efficiently and raise the quality of my finished products. Every time the paid AI models get an upgrade, my workflow levels up alongside them. 

That said, there’s a small downside. My team often uses Upwork to outsource smaller tasks, typically to freelancers around the globe. It used to be simple to scan through job proposals and spot the copy-pasted replies. Recently, though, they all look polished and well-written, almost like everyone was channeling Hemingway. With the rise of ChatGPT and similar AI writing tools, spotting a genuine response has definitely gotten trickier. 

A Quirky Clue: The Em Dash 

In an interesting twist, I’ve stumbled upon an odd—but surprisingly useful—way to detect AI-written text: watch out for heavy use of the punctuation known as the em dash. The Chicago Manual of Style recommends it for emphasis or smoother flow, but it’s not a common choice for everyday writing. All of a sudden, it’s everywhere—suspiciously tied to the AI writing boom. When I see a proposal loaded with those long dashes, there’s a good chance ChatGPT AI played a part. Of course, it’s easy to tell AI tools to avoid this punctuation—which makes it even harder to confirm whether the content is entirely human-made. 

Beyond that, humans are naturally skeptical of anything “too perfect.” We’re wired to notice small flaws. Think about cosmetic dentistry. A while ago, people wanted teeth that were dazzlingly white and perfectly symmetrical, but that style looked artificial. These days, dentists add subtle variations to make smiles feel real. Our eyes hone in on symmetry or flawless details and instantly sense something isn’t natural. 

Our brains can be described as a “difference engine.” It excels at picking up on deviations. This is great when you’re standing in a forest and suddenly everything goes quiet. Our gut feelings are actually tied in part to our ability to notice something is off. It’s also great for raising teenagers, and the trick is knowing how and when to act when the words aren’t aligning with the actions. 

So remember to keep your wits about you in this age when writing like Hemingway is as easy as opening your browser. And as always, knowledge is not a substitute for wisdom, and everything is a double-edged sword. 

Adam Nelson | Inventor/Owner
Invent Automation (formerly SolVIS Automation)
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