If you write anything—blogs, papers, even emails—chances are you've thought about using AI in some way, perhaps to brainstorm ideas, create an outline, or even write a draft.
You've probably also noticed people have strong opinions about whether or not you should use AI in your writing process. Some are purists and believe any use of AI is cheating or even unethical, considering that AI companies never compensated creators for their training data. These folks won't hesitate to call out writing that sounds like it was cut-and-pasted from a chat window.
As a marketing writer, I see more people on the other end of the spectrum. Most often, they work at a small business, on a small marketing team, or for a manager who's going "all in" on AI to "do more for less." They're often running real-world experiments, testing multiple models and writing platforms in pursuit of a truly usable AI draft, one that sounds mostly like their brand and isn't full of made-up stats and quotes. In my experience, this is almost impossible to achieve.
So, while human-written content is the gold standard, many of us may still work with AI drafts and outlines, either as one of many steps in an accelerated process or because it's what the boss or the client requires. And that's OK. We're not doomed to deliver low-quality, sloppy content if we approach AI-written content as a raw input, edit it mindfully, and add our own research, voice, and point of view.
Is AI Always More Efficient for Writing?
Depending on the subject matter, it may sometimes be more efficient to write without help from AI. Carefully editing AI drafts that are stuffed with confidently worded hallucinations can be unexpectedly time consuming.
The only way to know for sure is to track your time. See how long it takes you to edit AI-written projects and compare that with how long it takes you to write the old-fashioned way.
What Editing AI-Written Copy Must Accomplish
Generally speaking, editing should do two main things for your AI-generated draft. First, it should remove the telltale signs of AI writing, so it doesn't distract your audience from what you're trying to say. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it should remove or replace any made-up data points, quotes, or claims.
If you accomplish both these goals, and your content is truly interesting or useful, then you can publish your hybrid AI-human content without shame.
Spotting AI Writing Patterns
Most AI-generated copy sounds the same because it's trained on the same massive datasets of online content—blogs, marketing sites, press releases, and social media posts. It works by predicting the next most likely word based on patterns it has seen, which means it often overuses commonly used phrasing, popular structures, and clichés.
Without strong human direction or editing, AI tends to default to safe, predictable patterns or, in what it thinks is marketing copy, an overenthusiastic tone full of buzzwords and forced excitement. The result is copy that may veer between bland and cringe.
Here are some of the more common patterns, with real examples:
The Em-Dash Epidemic
AI tends to overuse em-dashes for emphasis. This has been extensively documented on LinkedIn and other social media sites.
AI Output:
"Marketing automation helps teams scale their efforts— saving time and resources—while maintaining personalization—all without adding headcount."
Human Edit:
"Marketing automation helps teams scale their efforts and save resources while maintaining personalization. No additional headcount required."
Of course, some human writers do use em-dashes and use them well. But too many em-dashes can be distracting and raise the uncomfortable question, "Was this copy written by AI?"
Set-Up with Punchline
One common approach to transitions often found in marketing copy is a short, dramatic phrase or question followed by a quick resolution or reveal. It's a technique many human writers have used to make copy sound "punchy," and now it's widely used by AI.
AI Outputs:
- "The thing is, data quality matters more than quantity."
- "Here's the kicker: most companies don't realize..."
- "The problem? Integration complexity."
- "The solution? A unified platform approach."
Human Edits:
- "Data quality matters more than quantity."
- "Most companies don't realize..."
- "Integration complexity blocks progress."
- "A unified platform solves this."
These constructions can help break up longer copy blocks. But, if your audience is familiar with AI outputs, it's better to avoid them.
The False Contrast Formula
AI tends to use contrasting parallel constructions to create drama when discussing two related concepts. It often follows the pattern: "It's not about X, it's about Y," or "It's not just X, it's also Y."
AI Outputs:
- "It's not about having more data, it's about having the right data."
- "It's not just about messaging, it's also about sales."
Human Edits:
- "The right data matters more than simply having a lot of it."
- "Effective messaging drives sales."
Overuse of Explainer Verbs
AI uses words like "dive deep," "explore," "delve," and "unpack" because they're common in blog posts, explainers, and educational content, the kinds of sources AI is heavily trained on. These verbs signal thoroughness and insight without committing to a specific point of view.
AI Output:
"Let's dive deep into why customer retention metrics matter. We'll explore the key indicators, delve into calculation methods, and unpack the strategic implications."
Human Edit:
"Customer retention metrics matter because they predict revenue. Here are the three that actually move the needle."
A Better Editing Framework
A structured editing framework can help you systematically polish AI-generated drafts and avoid potentially embarrassing mistakes.
The SHARP Approach
Fact-check stats, names, quotes, and anything that you're unsure of.
Edit or remove clichés, overused words and constructions, and vague explainer language. Adjust the style for consistency with your voice or your brand.
Infuse tone, perspective, and nuance that reflects your brand or viewpoint.
Improve pacing, tighten paragraphs, and ensure logical progression.
Take a moment to review your final draft and ask yourself if you honestly feel good about it.
Spot Hallucinations
Verify every statistic and quote. Click on links and make sure they go to the right place. Validate any citations AI has provided.
How to verify:
- Find the original source document, not just a citation
- Check the publication date (AI may cite 2019 research as current)
- Read the methodology (survey of 50 people ≠ universal truth)
- Verify quotes word-for-word (AI paraphrases aggressively)
Hone Your Voice
Use the find function in your text editor to systematically identify AI markers:
How to remove the AI-isms:
- Find all em-dashes. Replace most with periods or commas.
- Search for "thing is," "Here's the," "The problem?" Delete them all. Start those sentences with the actual point.
- Look for "dive into," "explore," "delve into," "unpack." Replace with specific verbs: analyze, examine, review, or just present the information directly.
- Rework the false contrasts. Unless you're correcting a genuine misconception, delete every "It's not X, it's Y" construction.
- Look for high-urgency words like "crucial" and "essential" used more than once.
Once this is done, edit the copy to make it sound more like you or your brand.
Add Insights AI Can't Offer
Make sure your content is adding value above and beyond what an AI model can pull out of its training data. This often means adding insights grounded in recent, original research or real-world experience.
Examples include:
- Contrarian takes based on real experience
- Specific vendor comparisons with pros/cons
- Implementation gotchas you've actually encountered
- Current market dynamics AI's training data missed
- Actual customer quotes (with permission)
Read It Aloud
Read the edited piece out loud to another person. If you stumble over sentences or feel embarrassed by certain phrases, those parts still need work, whether or not they were written by AI.
Generally speaking, human writing sounds natural when spoken. AI writing can sound a little stiff and academic or try-hard and cringe.
Perform One Final Review
Once you've finished the previous four steps, let the draft sit for at least an hour or two. Work on something else and then come back to it. Read it again with fresh eyes. Ask yourself some hard questions.
Questions to ask before you hit "publish":
- Would I stake my reputation on its accuracy?
- Does it provide value a reader can't get elsewhere?
- Is it free of obvious AI patterns?
- Does it enlighten, entertain, or actually help solve a real problem?
More Editing in Our Future?
The more we rely on AI-generated drafts, the more editing we'll have to do. And while AI can help you get started faster, it often produces content that sounds polished on the surface but lacks accuracy, depth, or a distinct point of view. That means you're not saving time so much as shifting the work from writing to fact-checking, rewriting, and refining.
Ultimately, whether it makes sense to enlist AI as a writing partner depends on your subject matter and your own strengths. If your topic is highly technical, fast-changing, or brand-sensitive, the editing workload may absolutely outweigh the initial time savings.
And if you're more comfortable writing from scratch than fixing awkward phrasing and fabricated facts, AI might slow you down rather than speed you up.
But if you have a solid process for reviewing and rewriting, AI can be a useful drafting tool, as long as you stay SHARP.