A Human's Guide To Detecting AI Generated Content

human vs AI content [part 1]

b) Complexity and Vocabulary

- Purple Prose: Uses complex, ornate vocabulary and intricate sentence structures.

- AI Writing: Generally uses simpler vocabulary and more straightforward sentence structures.

c) Consistency

- Purple Prose: May vary in intensity throughout a piece, as human authors might not maintain the same level of embellishment consistently.

- AI Writing: Tends to maintain a consistent style unless prompted to change.

d) Emotional Resonance:

- Purple Prose: Often attempts to evoke strong emotions, sometimes to the point of melodrama.

- AI Writing: May struggle with authentic emotional expression, resulting in flatter descriptions.

e) Clarity of Meaning

- Purple Prose: May obscure the underlying message with excessive ornamentation.

- AI Writing: Usually strives for clarity and directness in conveying information.

f) Logical Flow:

- Purple Prose: Might meander or get lost in its own elaborations.

- AI Writing: Usually maintains a clear, logical progression of ideas.

g) Use of Figurative Language:

- Purple Prose: Often over uses metaphors, similes, and other figurative devices.

- AI Writing: Uses figurative language more sparingly and appropriately.

h) Emotional Tone:

- Purple Prose: Can feel forced or overly dramatic in its emotional appeals.

- AI Writing: Tends to present emotions more objectively or analytically.

i) Sentence Variety:

- Purple Prose: Might have a preponderance of long, complex sentences.

- AI Writing: Usually varies sentence structure for better readability.

j) Purpose and Effect:

- Purple Prose: Often seems more focused on the language itself than on conveying information or telling a story effectively.

- AI Writing: Generally prioritizes effective communication of ideas or information.

Side by side comparison:

Purple Prose: "The resplendent, fiery orb of the sun descended slowly behind the verdant, rolling hills, painting the sky in a breathtaking palette of vibrant oranges, passionate reds, and tender purples, as the tranquil twilight embraced the world in a gentle, loving caress."

AI writing: "The sun set behind the hills, coloring the sky with shades of orange, red, and purple as night approached."

Human writing (minus the purple or AI prose): "The sun set behind the hills, painting the sky in a breathtaking palette of vibrant orange, passionate red and a tender purple just as the twilight embraced the world in a gentle caress."

My attempt is half as good but... you see, it clearly strikes a middle ground between the two.

Here are some practical steps for trying to distinguish Purple Prose vs. Artificial Writing:

- Evaluate Complexity

Look at the sentence structure and vocabulary. Purple prose will be more complex and ornate compared to the simpler and more direct style of AI writing.

AI could also be complex, or attempt to be but it'd most likely fail at the sentence structures and stuff like that while Purple Prose would be able to hold its poetic structural prose.

- Check for Repetition

AI writing might show repetitive phrases or sentence structures. Purple prose, while elaborate, is less likely to be repetitive.

It could also be the other way around. AI tends to over-use the same word but Purple prose is the case where you could use the same term to show, tell, show and then tell some more in the Charles Dickens style but it'd feel authentic. AI doesn't do so well at it.

- Assess Emotional Depth

Purple prose often attempts to convey deep emotion and vivid imagery. AI writing might seem flatter and less evocative.

And even if it did try all the fancy, prose style, it's bound to miss an article or two, feel clunky and plain messed up, making it feel vague, regardless of all the flowing pottery.

- Analyze Intent and Focus

Consider whether the writing seems more focused on aesthetic beauty (purple prose) or clarity and coherence (AI writing).

But then again, in either case, with all the aesthetic or coherence considered, I believe the authenticity and technicality shine through with human writing, it doesn't in AI. You just need a bit of practice.

- Read Aloud

Reading the text aloud can help identify awkward phrasing or lack of natural flow typical in AI writing whereas purple prose might sound overly dramatic or theatrical but more natural too.

And that's a more of a golden rule for finding the difference between any human vs. AI written text, the more you read, the more you know.

Stay tuned for the next part! 😉

Sara.