A Human's Guide To Detecting AI Generated Content

human vs AI content [part 1]

It's characterized by:

- Excessive use of adjectives and adverbs

Ex: "Adam slogged slowly through the frigid, gelid, and blindingly white drifts of snow, piling quickly up to his beleaguered hips."

— Robert Heinlein's Beyond This Horizon

Could be shortened/modified to:

"Adam slogged through snowdrifts as high as his hips."

- Overly complex sentence structures

Ex: "As Clancy watched the sunset swirl into the night, he stood on the edge of dock, and he breathed, deeply, desperately, drunkenly of the coming darkness, wondering if this crepuscular vision was a sign of his coming doom, his very own shroud of death falling to his shoulders."

— K.M. Weiland in "Most Common Writing Mistakes: Overly Complex Prose"

Could be shortened/modified to:

"Clancy watched the sunset fade into darkness. He stood on the edge of the dock and breathed in the coming night. Would this twilight be the last he would see?"

- Grandiose or archaic vocabulary

Ex: "He was making quite a long speech, in the archaic form of Dari which was used in these mountains, as Adam could tell from its cadence."

— Shah Idries, KARA KUSH

Could be shortened/modified to:

"Adam listened as the man spoke in the local Dari dialect. The cadence of his speech was unfamiliar but Adam was able to pick out a few words and phrases which were enough to get the gist of what was being said."

- Melodramatic or overly sentimental descriptions

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."

— Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities"

Could be shortened/modified to:

"It was a time of contrasts, with wisdom and foolishness, belief and disbelief, light and darkness, hope and despair coexisting."

- Unnecessary metaphors and similes

"The new employee was as useful as a chocolate watch in a fire-guard, as lost as a needle in a haystack, and as effective as a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest, but somehow managed to stumble upon a solution that was as smooth as silk, as clear as crystal, and as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day."

Could be shortened/modified to:

"The new employee struggled to adapt to the new environment but with a little trial and error, he discovered a solution that was both innovative and efficient, much to the surprise and delight of his colleagues."

AI writing vs. Purple Prose as given by Claude.AI (explains why this would seem biased, but OH WELL, we'll try to get into the rubrics later):-

a) Intentionality

- Purple Prose: Often a deliberate stylistic choice by human authors, sometimes used for artistic effect or to parody overly elaborate writing.

- AI Writing: Generally aims for clarity and effectiveness, unless specifically instructed to write in a florid style.