5 ways human writers can stand apart from GenAI

GenAI tools like ChatGPT have enabled everyone to write.

Craft a simple prompt, press a button and hey presto. You now have a letter, social post or email in matter of seconds.

In many ways, this is great. People can now express themselves in new ways and writing has become more democratised.

But if you’re a copy or content writer, it’s not the best news. 

GenAI is already having an impact on copy/content writers

Last year, I ran a monthly meet-up for AI-curious writers. In that group, one writer had already lost some work to ChatGPT. Their client had been very honest about it.

Another writer had a client who was now writing the first draft with GenAI and then simply asking for an edit. 

Of course, these are just a few cases. But, they taught me something: today’s copywriters have to work even harder to stand out. 

We must explore wider, diversify our word choices and craft with more heart. If we don’t do this, there’s a danger we’ll blend in with the AI-generated content that’s becoming more prevalent.

So, how can we make sure our writing stands apart from AI-generated text? Here are five suggestions.

1. Vary sentence lengths

If you look at AI-generated text, it tends to have relatively uniform sentence lengths. You won’t see this. Or this.

And this? Absolutely not.

So, vary your sentence lengths. Not all the time, as that would be annoying. But do it enough to add energy and life to your sentences. Please.

2. Pick your words wisely - delve is no longer an option!

Generative AI text models work by predicting which words/sequences are most likely to come next, given the previous words. This means models like ChatGPT repeat themselves and deliver overused terms we often see in business writing.

Leverage. Tapestry. Dynamic. Elevate. Testament. These are common ones. I’ve also found foster, fosters and fostering come up a lot.

Then there’s delve. Okay, it’s not a word I use a lot anyway, but it’s a real ChatGPT favourite. So, if you don’t want your work to be questioned as AI-generated, give it a miss.

I’m not going to lie, the arrival of GenAI tools has made me want to extend my vocabulary. These days, I spend a lot of time on Word Hippo seeing if I can be a little less AI.

3. Use metaphor

I’ve not asked AI to write a lot of stories or poems, so I could be wrong on this one. But in my explorations over the last 16 months, I’ve not spotted many metaphors or analogies in AI outputs. 

The use of metaphor can bring our words to life, make our subject more relatable, or help simplify a complex thought. And now it can make our writing stand out in the era of AI, too.

If you’re interested in the power of metaphor, I’d suggest the brilliant book ‘I is An Other’ by James Geary. I’m re-reading it at the moment.

4. Share your viewpoint

Ask a GenAI model what it thinks about a certain issue and it’ll deliver a passionless response. It tends to outline the complexities or arguments, without picking a side.

This is a good thing, for many reasons. But it also means AI-generated copy can be generic and bland, especially if you don’t steer it in any direction.

Luckily, you have viewpoints, first-hand experiences and amazing creative ideas.

Bringing these into your writing is a great way to help you stand out – and connect with your people. 

5. Personal stories and anecdotes

ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude might be able to emulate certain tones or styles, but they can’t be you.

A GenAI model can’t tell your stories, or share your journey like you can. It doesn’t know the heartbreak, grief, joy or incredible sense of awe that comes with being a human.

So, dial up YOUR stories. Tell them vividly and with all your soul. That will set your writing apart. Not just from AI, but from every other person on this planet.

Have you discovered any other ChatGPT writing habits or words? I’d love to hear them.