ai-marketing-skills/content-ops/experts/humanizer.md

Expert Panel: AI Writing Detector (Humanizer)

Context

• Based on the 24 AI writing patterns from Wikipedia's "Signs of AI writing" guide
• This expert scores drafts on how AI-generated they sound
• Scoring: 0 = obviously AI-generated, 100 = indistinguishable from human
• This should be the LAST check before any draft is finalized

Scoring Rubric

Banned Vocabulary (instant -5 per occurrence)

delve, tapestry, landscape (abstract), leverage, multifaceted, nuanced, pivotal, realm, robust, seamless, testament, transformative, underscore (verb), utilize, whilst, keen, embark, comprehensive, intricate, commendable, meticulous, paramount, groundbreaking, innovative, cutting-edge, synergy, holistic, paradigm, ecosystem, Additionally, align with, crucial, enduring, enhance, fostering, garner, highlight (verb), interplay, intricacies, showcase, vibrant, valuable, profound, renowned, breathtaking, nestled, stunning

The 24 Patterns to Flag

CONTENT PATTERNS

1. Significance Inflation (-10) Puffing up importance with "stands as", "is a testament", "pivotal moment", "underscores its importance", "reflects broader", "setting the stage for", "indelible mark", "deeply rooted".

• Before: "This initiative marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of digital marketing."
• After: "The company launched its first programmatic ad campaign in 2019."

2. Undue Notability Claims (-5) Listing media mentions without context. "Active social media presence", "leading expert".

• Before: "His insights have been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur."
• After: "In a 2024 Forbes interview, he argued most marketing budgets are wasted on brand awareness."

3. Superficial -ing Analyses (-8) Tacking "-ing" phrases for fake depth: "highlighting", "underscoring", "emphasizing", "ensuring", "reflecting", "symbolizing", "contributing to", "fostering", "showcasing".

• Before: "The platform grew 40% YoY, showcasing the team's commitment to innovation and highlighting the importance of user experience."
• After: "The platform grew 40% YoY. Most of that came from a single referral loop they built in Q2."

4. Promotional Language (-8) "Boasts a", "vibrant", "rich" (figurative), "profound", "exemplifies", "commitment to", "natural beauty", "nestled", "in the heart of", "must-visit".

• Before: "The company boasts a vibrant team with a profound commitment to delivering groundbreaking results."
• After: "The company has 45 employees. Revenue grew 32% last year."

5. Vague Attributions (-8) "Industry reports", "Experts argue", "Some critics argue", "several sources". No specific citations.

• Before: "Experts believe AI will transform the marketing landscape."
• After: "A 2024 Gartner survey found 67% of CMOs plan to increase AI spend next year."

6. Formulaic "Challenges and Future" Sections (-10) "Despite its X, faces challenges...", "Despite these challenges, continues to Y", "Future Outlook".

• Before: "Despite these challenges, the company continues to thrive as a leader in the space."
• After: "Customer churn hit 8% in Q3. They hired a retention team in October."

LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR PATTERNS

7. AI Vocabulary Clustering (-10) Multiple banned words in same paragraph. See banned list above.

• Before: "Additionally, this innovative approach showcases the intricate interplay between technology and creativity, highlighting its crucial role in the evolving landscape."
• After: "The tool saves about 3 hours per week on content scheduling. That's it."

8. Copula Avoidance (-5) Using "serves as", "stands as", "marks", "represents", "boasts", "features", "offers" instead of simple "is/are/has".

• Before: "The newsletter serves as a valuable resource for marketers."
• After: "The newsletter is a resource for marketers. 12K subscribers open it weekly."

9. Negative Parallelisms (-5) "Not only...but...", "It's not just about X, it's Y", "It's not merely X, it's Y".

• Before: "It's not just about the content; it's about building a lasting relationship with your audience."
• After: "Good content gets replies. That's how you build an audience."

10. Rule of Three Overuse (-8) Forcing ideas into groups of three. Triple adjectives, triple nouns, triple parallel clauses.

• Before: "The event features keynote sessions, panel discussions, and networking opportunities."
• After: "The event has talks and panels. There's also time for networking between sessions."

11. Elegant Variation / Synonym Cycling (-5) Excessive synonym substitution to avoid repetition.

• Before: "The CEO shared his vision. The business leader outlined the strategy. The company head detailed the plan."
• After: "The CEO shared his vision and outlined the strategy."

12. False Ranges (-5) "From X to Y" where X and Y aren't on a meaningful scale.

• Before: "From content creation to audience engagement, from SEO to paid media, the landscape is shifting."
• After: "Content, SEO, and paid media are all changing. Here's what actually matters."

STYLE PATTERNS

13. Em Dash Overuse (-5) More than 1 em dash per 200 words. AI uses them for "punchy" sales writing.

14. Overuse of Boldface (-3) Mechanical bold emphasis on every key term.

15. Inline-Header Vertical Lists (-5) Lists where every item starts with a bolded header + colon.

16. Title Case in Headings (-3) Capitalizing All Main Words In Every Heading.

17. Emoji Decoration (-5) Emojis on headings or bullet points (🚀💡✅).

18. Curly Quotation Marks (-2) Using " " instead of " ".

COMMUNICATION PATTERNS

19. Collaborative Artifacts (-10) "I hope this helps", "Of course!", "Certainly!", "Would you like...", "let me know", "here is a...".

20. Knowledge-Cutoff Disclaimers (-10) "As of [date]", "While specific details are limited", "based on available information".

21. Sycophantic Tone (-8) "Great question!", "You're absolutely right!", "That's an excellent point!"

FILLER AND HEDGING

22. Filler Phrases (-5 each) "In order to" → "To". "Due to the fact that" → "Because". "At this point in time" → "Now". "It is important to note that" → just state it.

23. Excessive Hedging (-8) "Could potentially possibly", "might have some effect", "it could be argued that".

• Before: "It could potentially be argued that this approach might have some positive impact."
• After: "This approach works. Here's the data."

24. Generic Positive Conclusions (-10) "The future looks bright", "Exciting times lie ahead", "continues their journey toward excellence".

• Before: "The future looks bright for AI in marketing. Exciting times lie ahead."
• After: "They plan to double their AI budget next quarter. We'll see if it pays off."

Scoring Method

Start at 100. Deduct points for each pattern detected (penalties listed above). Multiple occurrences of the same pattern stack (up to 2x the base penalty).

• 90-100: Human-sounding. Clean.
• 70-89: Minor AI tells. Quick fixes needed.
• 50-69: Obvious AI patterns. Significant rewrite needed.
• 0-49: Reads like ChatGPT output. Full rewrite.

What Good Looks Like

Good human writing has:

• Opinions, not just reporting
• Varied sentence rhythm (short punches + longer ones)
• Specific details over vague claims
• Simple verbs (is, has, does) over elaborate constructions
• Acknowledgment of uncertainty or mixed feelings
• First-person perspective when appropriate
• Humor, edge, or personality
• Concrete examples with names, dates, numbers