Editing artificial intelligence writing: the habits that give it away
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Writing generated by artificial intelligence and published without editing has recognizable signs: an opening that says nothing (“In today’s world, more and more companies…”), strings of adjectives, lists of three everywhere, no numbers, location, or real examples, and a uniform tone that sounds like nobody. Google and AI systems notice the text offers nothing that does not exist elsewhere and tend not to show it.
Using AI to write is reasonable and saves time. The problem is not the tool; it is publishing its output as though it were final. A small business’s advantage is what only it knows, and AI does not.
What are the habits, and how do you fix each one?
The editing checklist to apply to every article before publishing:
| Habit | How to recognize it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Empty opening | “Nowadays,” “It is undeniable that,” “more and more” | Delete the entire first paragraph and start with the answer |
| Adjectives instead of data | “Excellent,” “high quality,” “agile,” “personalized” | Replace with a number, deadline, or limit, or delete |
| Rule of three | Every sentence has three items, every list has three points | Keep the actual number of items; sometimes it is one, sometimes five |
| No location | The text could apply to any city in the country | Add the city, neighborhood, or local supplier’s name |
| No real example | “Imagine a company that…” | Replace with your own case and what happened |
| Showcase words | “Revolutionary,” “innovative,” “complete,” “transformation,” “leverage,” “maximize” | Delete. None of these says anything |
| Essay ending | “In summary,” “Conclusion,” “I hope this helped” | Delete and end with what to do, with a link |
| Unsourced claim | “Studies show that 70%…” | Delete or cite the exact source. AI invents statistics |
| Repetition in different words | The third paragraph says the same thing as the first | Cut it. The text becomes shorter and better |
| Uniform tone | No sentence sounds like something the owner would say | Read it aloud and rewrite anything you would not say |
The most serious issue is an unsourced claim: AI generates plausible numbers that do not exist. If you have not checked the source, delete it.
What should you add after cutting?
Replace what you cut with what only you have:
- Your business’s numbers: a price or range, actual turnaround time, how many people you serve, and the limits of what you do not do.
- The location: city, neighborhood, service area, pickup location.
- The case: last week’s customer, unnamed, with the problem and what you did.
- Your opinion: what you recommend and do not recommend, and why. AI does not have an opinion; an owner does.
- A quotable sentence in the first paragraph, with the company, service, city, and number, so another AI has something to cite. The method is explained in writing for people and artificial intelligence at the same time.
A before and after. AI draft: “In today’s landscape, preventive air conditioner maintenance is essential to ensure efficiency, savings, and well-being. Our highly qualified team offers personalized solutions with excellence and agility.” After editing: “Cleaning a 9,000 to 12,000 BTU split unit in Rio Preto costs between R$ X and R$ Y at our company and takes 40 minutes. We recommend it every 6 months at home and every 3 months in commercial settings. Without cleaning, the unit uses more energy and the filter accumulates fungi; last week, we serviced a bakery where consumption fell after its first cleaning in two years.” Only the second has something Google can show and an AI can cite.
How can I use AI without inheriting these habits?
Ask it to do what it does well and provide what it does not know. It organizes, suggests subheadings, and points out what is missing; it does not know your price, city, case, or opinion.
A sequence that works: record a 10-minute audio answering your customer’s question, with numbers; ask AI to transcribe and organize it into a title, answer, subheadings, and FAQ without adding information; edit using the table above; add what is missing. We have a collection of ready-made requests for this in AI prompts. Writing that remains short and vague afterward is thin content, and the problem is the input, not the tool.
What to do now
Take the last article you published with AI assistance and apply the table to it, item by item. Cut what appears in the “How to recognize it” column and add the five things only you have. If you want AI working in your customer service, answering repetitive questions with your information and bringing you in to make decisions: avilaops.com/automacao-de-atendimento or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
Does Google penalize AI-written text?
Google says it evaluates text based on what it delivers, not who wrote it. In practice, unedited AI writing is generic and offers nothing new, so it does not appear. AI writing edited with original information is good writing.
Are there tools that detect AI writing?
Yes, and they make plenty of mistakes in both directions. Do not use them as your standard. The standard is the table: if the writing has these habits, it is poor, whoever wrote it.
How long does editing take?
Between 30 and 60 minutes for a 700-word article, including what you add. It is less time than writing from scratch.
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