Simple human-based tips to make AI copy sound less artificial
AI can be a great way to generate copy—especially for those who aren’t natural writers or struggle with the written word. But if you read enough AI-generated copy you’ll notice patterns that give it away. Whether you’re AI-generating marketing copy or an email promotion, there are some simple, and even fun, ways to humanize AI content.
Just because you create copy using AI doesn’t mean you should send or publish it as is.
AI content should form the foundation of a human-edited version that’s stripped of its “artificialness”. So, here are six human ways to make your AI-generated content sound more natural and engaging:
1) Treat AI-generated content as a first draft
While it may be alright for short social media posts, avoid directly copying and pasting AI-generated content onto emails, blogs, or websites without adding a bit of human flair. Businesses, for instance, need a human to review and revise the language so that it aligns with the company’s brand and mission.
The longer or more important the copy, the more important it is to give it the human touch. This doesn’t mean you need to wax poetic or add significant amounts of new content. At the very least, remove or edit some telltale signs of AI.
2) Get rid of repetition
Most decent writers and communicators make their point and move on. But have you ever noticed that AI-generated content has a way of repeating itself?
It would make a point in one part of the text and then say it again in multiple places throughout the copy. Or worse, it would make a point and immediately follow up by saying the same thing in a different way.
This increases content weight and makes writing sound robotic—to the point that it can be unreadable to human eyes.
3) Inject personality and emotion
AI-generated content tends to be neutral, generic, and uninspired. While this may be fine for a legal document, it makes content dull. So, humanize your AI content by:
- using an active and conversational voice to mimic the rhythm of a spoken conversation between you and the reader.
- using contractions, such as “it’s”, “can’t”, “don’t”, to make it sound like natural speech—unless the content calls for a more formal tone.
- injecting humor or emotion (only if it fits the context and purpose of the copy).
- addressing the reader directly, such as “your best options are…” instead of “one’s best options are…”
4) Make it funny (carefully!)
You can prompt AI to add humor to content, but it usually comes up short, falling in between a corny “dad joke” and truly cringe-worthy.
Humor, when applied correctly, can be an effective tool—especially for reader engagement, likes, and shares. But humor is nuanced and subjective, so play it safe and make sure it’s appropriate for the audience and intent of the content.
5) Personalize copy with stories
AI is great at generating straightforward and objective copy—instructions, technical documentation, how-to steps. But when it comes to truly absorbing content that connects with readers, it can be lacking.
Of the hundreds of blog, newspaper, and magazine articles I’ve written, the ones that garnered the most feedback and shares were the ones that had unique, relatable, and real situations that brought the content to life and engaged with the audience’s own experiences.
6) Ask meaningful questions
Thought-provoking questions encourage readers to reflect and “interact” with the content, making the writing seem more natural. But do it sparingly; you’re not sending readers a survey.
The key to this technique is to use meaningful questions, not rhetorical ones, such as “Are you kidding me?”, that are meant for emphasis or exaggeration.
Closing thoughts…
AI is an invaluable tool to create large amounts of content quickly. But you still need to realize the value and importance of human input—especially for businesses with a well-established brand.
Spending a little extra time to humanize AI-generated content will go a long way towards preventing generic and soulless content that came off a conveyor belt.
