How AI Writers Can Sound More Human

Modern language models produce decent first drafts. They also have a recognizable signature — adjectives stacked three deep, long winding sentences, mid-paragraph hedges, and an overlong intro that delays the actual point. Six edits make most AI drafts feel like a person wrote them.

1. Cut the intro by half

AI drafts almost always restate the prompt before saying anything new. Delete that opener and lead with the first sentence that actually advances the idea.

2. Replace adjective stacks with one specific word

“A comprehensive, robust, and scalable solution” usually means “a solution that scales.” Pick the load-bearing adjective and drop the rest.

3. Replace generic verbs with precise ones

“The team worked on improving the process” becomes “The team redesigned the onboarding flow.” Specific verbs do more work than three modifying adjectives.

4. Break long sentences

AI tends to chain ideas with commas. Shorter sentences carry more conviction. “The product is fast, scalable, intuitive, and built for teams that want to ship reliably without sacrificing performance” reads better as “The product is fast and scalable. It's built for teams that ship reliably.”

5. Cut hedges

AI loves hedges: arguably, potentially, somewhat, perhaps, often, generally. They make sentences feel safe. They also weaken them. Cut all but the ones that are factually necessary.

6. Add one specific detail

Specific beats general every time. A single number (“12 customers”), a single name (“Sarah on our team”), or a single concrete example anchors the writing in something real.

An AI draft is a fast start. With six small edits, it becomes a draft worth signing your name to.