I hate to break it to you, but you're starting to sound like AI slop. Don’t worry, I am too.

Last week, out of curiosity, I pasted a document entirely written by me into an AI-detector and it told me it was “Very Likely” that what I penned with my actual human brain and hands had in reality been constructed by AI. (btw, does anyone else think it’s a bit too meta that these AI detectors are powered by… AI??)

This was concerning to me. I have been a professional writer for more than 20 years and have made a lot of work I’m proud of… including that essay! Why did the robot, think I wasn’t the author?

Then I realized what happened, and it actually kind of made sense.

People naturally mimic our surroundings. We dress like family or colleagues, eat at similar restaurants as friends, and we pick up dialects we’re immersed in. And right now, we’re all immersed in a lot of AI writing.

It’s all over LinkedIn. People are using it to write their newsletters and their Substacks. It's showing up in news, and in social media as more and more people use AI to write, edit, and zhush content.

So it makes sense that we pick up these written tics the same way we do other kinds of slang.

You know how it is when you have a friend go to England for a whole 5 days and they come home saying, “Cheerio” as though that had been in their vocabulary their whole lives. Or God forbid, someone visit Paris for a long weekend. You call them when they’re back, and they’re all “Bonjour ! Oh, desolee, I was just in Pear-eeeeee.”

I even notice this with my own accent and phrasing. I’m from Texas, which no one would suspect thanks to the years I spent training that twang out of my voice. But when I go home, and I start talking to my relatives, you bet your britches, that old drawl comes right back, y’all. Yee haw!

So, the fact that we pick up bits of AI's cadence and verbiage is, well, very human.

But one of the things that will help set people apart in These Times, something that will help leaders sound like leaders, that will help writers sound like writers, that will help creators sound like creators, is making sure that our voices remain distinct, clear, personal, unique, and authentic.

Let them drawls fly, y’all! (or the written equivalent anyway).

Here are three things I do now to make sure my writing, presentations, and speeches sound like me. Feel free to borrow what works for you.

1. Step away from the Scroll. Before I start writing, I take a few minutes to read some fiction (from an actual physical book if I can) and let the definitely-not-AI-speak wash over my brain. It’s a nice reset that keeps me from mimicking something I read on a recent feed.

My current TBR and IP pile (with a slightly judgemental cat to keep me on track). A wild mix to be sure, but it keeps my brain fresh.

2. Steal a style. To make sure I'm not lapsing into cliche patterns, I’ll channel the voice of a writer I love and see how it feels to write in their voice. Even just a few sentences of this and it helps me skip over my unconscious shortcuts to create something fresh.

3. Say it Out Loud. When I come to a line in a piece that’s just sounding kinda… ugh, I stop writing and say, with my voice, what I wish I could say or what I would say if I wasn’t hemmed in by word count or the fact that it’s not cool to swear in the middle of a pitch deck. Once I say what I actually mean, I usually find a way to write it in a much more connective way.

These new practices can make it “Very Likely” that what you mean to say sounds like you’re the one who was meant to say it.

_____________________________

Aydrea Walden is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter and creative consultant who helps leaders, executive, and creative teams figure out what to say and how to say it so that people actually remember.

Have a keynote, speech, or presentation coming up? Join Aydrea’s Signature Spotlight Intensive to get it ready.

Have another question or project? Email aydrea@aydreawalden.com.

Psst! Your AI Is Showing