How to make AI-assisted writing sound human

Readers have learned to spot AI text. They might not be able to explain it, but they feel it: the same rhythm in every sentence, the dashes, the phrases nobody says out loud. Once a reader notices, they trust the rest of the page less. Here's how to fix that, and what Google's rules actually are.

What Google says about AI content

Google's position is that it rewards helpful content however it's produced. Its guidance on AI-generated content says using automation, including AI, mainly to manipulate search rankings breaks its spam policies. In 2024 Google added a "scaled content abuse" policy that covers producing large amounts of unoriginal content to rank, whatever tool is used to make it.

So AI isn't the problem. Publishing text that adds nothing is. That's the part editing solves.

The patterns that give it away

• Em dashes everywhere. Models reach for them constantly. Most people use a comma or a full stop.
• Stock phrases. "Delve into", "it's worth noting", "in today's fast-paced world", "plays a crucial role", "navigate the complexities". They sound polished and say nothing.
• Every sentence the same length. Human writing has short lines. And longer ones that take a detour before they get to the point.
• Lists of three. "Fast, reliable and secure." Once is fine. Every paragraph is a tell.
• Hedging. "This may potentially help some users." Say what you know.
• The summary ending. A final paragraph that starts "In conclusion" and repeats the article.

An editing process that works

1. Cut the first paragraph. AI intros warm up for too long. Your article usually starts in paragraph two.
2. Delete every stock phrase. Don't swap it for a synonym. Ask what the sentence means and write that.
3. Replace dashes. Most become a full stop. Some become a comma. A few become brackets.
4. Break the rhythm. Read it out loud. Where it drones, split a sentence or join two.
5. Add what the model can't know. Your test results, your photos, a mistake you made, a quote you gathered, a number you checked. This is the step that matters most for rankings.
6. Check every fact. Models state wrong things confidently. One bad figure can undo the trust of the whole page.
7. End when you're done. Delete the summary paragraph unless it adds something new.

Use active voice

"The results were analysed" hides who did the work and makes the claim weaker. "We analysed the results" is shorter and sounds like someone was actually there. Aim to keep passive voice under about 15% of sentences.

Don't write for detectors

AI detectors are unreliable, and chasing a "100% human" score leads to strange, stilted text. Write for the reader instead. If a knowledgeable friend would read your article and learn something, you've done the job. The patterns above are worth fixing because readers notice them, not because a detector does.