Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become part of our everyday lives. These devices can help us do incredible things, but there are things we still need to be wary of. Here are 9 questions to ask yourself the next time you find a text that might be AI-generated.
What’s it for?
To find out if ChatGPT wrote a message, you don’t need to go to ChatGPT right away. It’s worth looking at where you found the piece. Every website or social media platform has its own purpose. It’s what makes them unique. When you look at the different sources available on the website already, it can help you narrow down the options and see how AI would be used.
Then, as obvious as it seems, remind yourself exactly what you’re reading. Is it an article, a post on Instagram or a full essay? It’s as if you start to know what to expect from this piece before you start reading. When it comes to the actual piece, that’s when you start to see whether people are using AI for entertainment or trying to pass this off as a legitimate source.
What emotions does the text show?
When it comes to their writing, authors will try to make readers feel a certain way by the end. Even in essays, people can see how much you’re dedicated to the subject. What we write is not just about what we see, but our own opinions. It’s such a simple step, but showing your passion or annoyance can help you become reflective.
Because AI is trying to fulfil a task, there is little emotion included in the writing. Instead of reflecting on what they think of the information, it’s more about trying to spit out as many facts as they can. At times, it can feel even monotone rather than a personal discovery.
Are all the facts accurate?
Unless you’re in a race, being quick isn’t always a good thing. AI-texts are heavily fact-based, but this doesn’t mean that these facts are always right. With the texts being generated, the responses try to stay professional to help the user.
Realistically, it can give us the advantage to look at the facts ourselves. Being a writer is about collecting all the information, so you can make something new and matters to you. When you really know a subject, from English to movies, you can start to connect the dots of what you already know and what the source says.
Do the details feel vague?
Analysis is a word that constantly gets thrown around in school. But sometimes people don’t realise how important it is in writing. It’s not enough to just say a fact, but say why it matters. Why is this included in the essay? What have other sources said to support or challenge this statement?
AI only looks into the surface-level analysis. Because there is this level of professionalism, the texts can have more description rather than where the description came from. Even though this could feel like a limitation, it could also be a benefit. With the facts that you have, you can build on your own critical analysis, not make something else do it for you.
What examples are in the text?
The backbone of any essay is an argument. It can give you something to refer back to constantly and help you find your evidence. Unlike human writing, however, generated texts feel generic rather than specific. Sometimes, you’ll get a bunch of different contributions or none at all. The text is trying to help the user, so very often, it doesn’t form an argument.
For that reason, unless it’s in the prompt, it will feel like explaining the story rather than showing the reader what’s there. When the examples are there, it will feel like you’re reading a list rather than a piece of work. The final product itself is unpredictable, so it’s always looking into what evidence is already there before you do anything else.
Does it feel too polished?
Let’s face it. Nobody’s perfect. Even an A+ paper can have at least two spelling mistakes. The best thing about writing is that it never needs to be perfect. It needs to be clear and attract the reader. AI texts do almost the complete opposite. The structure feels too perfect. The writing feels so rigid that it starts to lose its ideas and its message.
Is the language too much?
There’s always the key phrase: ‘quality over quantity’. Trying to fit as many adjectives into one sentence feels exciting in the moment, but it feels frustrating when you read it all back. Coming back to its professionalism, AI-generated texts will always try to exaggerate language. Because it’s a device rather than a person, it’s as if it’s mirroring the emotions we feel. That way, it can seem relatable or acceptable.
This could be why there’s almost a fear of trying to use sophisticated vocabulary or emphasise points. But in reality, writing an essay does feel like you’re having a conversation with someone. Keeping things simple can not only bring across your message, but also let the reader understand your thoughts.
Does the text repeat itself?
When reading an AI-generated text, do you find yourself going back in circles? These texts will constantly try to go back to the exact same message, but just rephrase it differently. While it’s important to link the information to the paragraph, AI texts stay focused on the content rather than how it sounds. It can make it feel repetitive and, at the same time, disconnected.
Does the text end too soon?
A conclusion is supposed to summarise everything and not to add any new points. With AI writing, it feels rather abrupt. It feels as if you have this list of facts, and it’s hard to finally put everything together. Look out for any new ideas in the conclusion that don’t fully fit what you have already. Anything that hasn’t already been there in the main body won’t be relevant to the rest of the piece.
Why does this matter?
AI has become a part of our society. Even though it is useful, it’s still a tool and shouldn’t be taken literally. As humans, we are so much capable than we think. This isn’t just about finding out what methods AI-generated texts use, but knowing what we can avoid and how we can make it better. That’s the real meaning of human creativity.
