7 Red Flags Of AI Writing To Be Aware Of In 2025
You thought AI dominated in 2024…
Look again. 2025 demands that every person and company must use some form of artificial intelligence (AI) if they don’t want to be left behind to fossilize.
Especially as it pertains to the content creation landscape, entrepreneurs must become increasingly savvy at identifying AI-generated content – both in their competitors’ work and potentially in content delivered by their own teams or contractors. While AI writing tools offer tremendous benefits, knowing the telltale signs of poorly implemented AI content is crucial for maintaining high standards and protecting your brand’s reputation.
Let’s dive into the 8 red flags surrounding AI writing!
1. Unnatural Repetitive Language & Redundancy
One of the most glaring indicators of AI-generated content is unnecessary repetition. AI models often struggle with semantic memory across longer texts, leading them to sound repetitive using slightly different phrasing. This creates a circular, redundant reading experience that human writers naturally avoid.
Writers need to be vigilant about identifying and addressing instances of redundancy in AI-generated content.
For example, you might notice a paragraph about “the importance of customer service” followed shortly by another section essentially saying the same thing with minor variations. Repetition often occurs because AI tries to hit specific word counts or expand on topics without introducing new information, unless you’ve already provided it.
To counteract this red flag, writers can experiment with different variations in their prompts and even the AI writing platform itself. This encourages you to evaluate which AI platform is right for the prompt. But it also challenges you to use various prompts as your AI explores diverse language choices.
Reading through the content and editing it yourself is also a must to eliminate any repetitive elements. This ensures a more engaging and thoughtful piece.
2. Generic, Surface-Level Analysis
AI tends to play it safe, offering broad generalizations rather than nuanced insights. Which kinda feels like drinking that bad cup of lukewarm coffee you get at a networking function or hotel because it’s already there – even if it’s not good. This results in content that reads like a collection of obvious statements without the depth that comes from real-world experience or critical thinking.
You don’t have time to waste to read that surface-level content. And your buyers are the same…They want insights, personality, and more importantly, confidence that you know what you’re talking about.
Watch for passages that state widely known facts without providing unique perspectives or practical applications. If the content feels like it could have been written about any business in any industry, it’s likely AI-generated without proper human refinement.
So if you’re a service-based entrepreneur, here is our advice:
- Talk to your target audience directly
- Bring up examples that they will understand and resonate with
- Add in facts, stories, and examples that are unique to you
- Don’t be afraid to get personal (even if it’s talking about where you failed)
3. Inconsistent Voice & Tone
While AI can be prompted to write in specific styles, it often struggles to maintain a consistent voice throughout longer pieces. You might notice jarring shifts between formal and casual language, or sudden changes in perspective that wouldn’t occur in human-written content.
These tonal inconsistencies are particularly noticeable when the content attempts to incorporate brand voice or industry-specific terminology. For example, the AI might alternate between highly technical language and oversimplified explanations within the same paragraph.
Additionally, it leaves out your uniqueness.
And while we’ve been testing how to prompt AI to generate custom brand voice responses, it’s failed.
That’s why we’ve developed our whole Fundamentals Package – where we document your brand messaging, brand voice, customer avatars, and marketing foundations. And this has been fundamentally changing the game for all of our clients. Suddenly, they have the focus and clarity around their message and how to communicate it with their target audience. And now, we’re excited to share it with you!
Interested in nailing down the Fundamentals? Explore our options here.
4. Factual Inaccuracies Or Outdated Information
AI models have knowledge cutoff dates and can’t access real-time information. This limitation often results in content that references outdated statistics, defunct businesses, or superseded best practices. While human writers naturally incorporate current events and recent developments, AI-generated content may feel strangely disconnected from present reality.
Pay special attention to any specific dates, statistics, or industry trends mentioned in the content. You’re likely dealing with unedited AI if none of what you see looks accurate or up to date.
Review and fact-check all content produced by AI to ensure that it aligns with your current knowledge and industry standards. Providing clear instructions to the AI about the context and desired tone can help improve the accuracy of the generated content.
5. Lack Of Original Examples Or Case Studies
Human writers naturally draw from their experience to provide specific, relevant examples. AI-generated content often relies on hypothetical scenarios or extremely generic examples without adding real value to the discussion.
When reading content, look for concrete case studies, specific industry examples, or detailed scenarios that demonstrate practical application. Their absence – or the presence of only vague, theoretical examples – often indicates AI authorship.
It’s time to show your experience and expertise to the world!
You’ve earned it.
6. Awkward Transitions & Flow
AI can struggle with creating smooth, logical transitions between ideas. You might notice abrupt topic changes or connections that feel forced or artificial. Human writers naturally build bridges between concepts – ensuring each paragraph flows naturally into the next.
Watch for transition sentences that feel mechanical or sections that seem to jump from one topic to another without proper context or connection.
Doubting whether you’ve edited your AI content enough? Try reading it out loud. This has been a tactic we’ve used long before the wide adoption of AI. And it works because the way we write is different from the way we speak. You want to sound more human, as if you’re sitting across from your reader chatting about the subject over a latte.
7. Over-Optimizing Content For Keywords
Human writers can naturally incorporate keywords into their content. AI, on the other hand, often takes a more mechanical approach to SEO optimization. You may notice this resulting in content with:
- Awkward keyword placement
- Unusual phrase repetition
- Sections that seem written purely for search engines rather than human readers
- Unnaturally placed keywords (especially in headings or the first sentences of paragraphs)
P.S. We’re actually seeing a decrease in the prioritization of keyword placement in SEO. Google and other search engines are prioritizing storytelling and quality content.
8. Ownership Of Content
One of the most discussed concerns when using AI for writing is the inadvertent generation of content that closely resembles existing material, potentially leading to plagiarism accusations. AI models, while powerful, may draw inspiration from their training data, resulting in content that mirrors existing articles or publications, leading to questions such as…
Is it possible to legally own AI-generated content?
Is AI-generated content owned by the user, the AI company, or is it public domain?
Can AI-generated content be copyrighted?
Avoid overthinking it with these tips:
- Add your brand’s voice, tone, and style to all AI-produced content (tell your story)
- Fact-check and provide sources, where needed
- Edit, modify, and adjust all content aligned with your brand’s standards
What We’re Using AI For At FocusCopy
At FocusCopy, we’ve embraced AI as a powerful tool while maintaining our commitment to human-crafted, high-quality content. In other words…this special brew isn’t going anywhere! Here’s how we’re strategically implementing AI in our workflow.
Research Assistance
We use AI to quickly gather initial research on topics, helping us identify key themes, relevant statistics, and important considerations. However, our human writers verify all information through primary sources and supplement it with their expertise and industry knowledge.
This approach allows us to work more efficiently while ensuring accuracy and depth in our content. AI helps cast a wide net in the research phase, but our team’s critical thinking skills determine what information is truly valuable for our clients.
Brainstorming & Ideation
AI is an excellent brainstorming partner, helping us generate initial ideas for content angles, headlines, and topic clusters. We use it to explore different perspectives and identify potential gaps in our content strategy. We also use it when we’re looking for a word that’s at the tip of our tongue but we can’t quite figure out what that word is…You know the feeling?
However, we rely on our human team’s expertise to evaluate these suggestions, selecting and refining the ideas that align with our client’s goals and industry realities. The final direction always comes from human strategic thinking and industry knowledge.
Editing & Refinement
While we don’t use AI for primary content creation, we do employ it as one of many tools in our editing process. AI helps us identify potential issues with readability, consistency, and grammar. However, human editors make the final decisions on all changes, ensuring our content maintains its authentic voice and strategic value.
Our editing process combines AI efficiency with human judgment, allowing us to maintain high-quality content while meeting tight deadlines. The technology helps catch technical issues, while our editors focus on ensuring the content delivers real value and an authentic message to our clients’ audiences.
There are some great AI tools out there, such as Grammarly, HemingwayApp, and AISEO.
Moving Forward With AI In Your Business’s Marketing Plan
The key to successful AI implementation isn’t avoiding it entirely. But you should understand its limitations while using it strategically.
Remember, AI is a tool to enhance human creativity and efficiency – not replace it entirely. The most successful content strategies will combine AI’s capabilities with human expertise, ensuring the final output is both efficient to produce and engaging enough to read.
At FocusCopy, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of AI technology while maintaining the human touch that makes our content truly effective – creating copy that’s brewed just for you. Explore how we build the foundation for all your brand messaging here.
