There’s a new epidemic sweeping through social media and LinkedIn especially. You’ve probably seen it. Every post starts with:
“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape…”
It then proceeds through twelve perfectly structured paragraphs, includes three rocket emojis, two references to “leveraging synergies,” and ends with a dramatic question that nobody answers.
Congratulations. You’ve spotted AI. Or at least someone who copied and pasted the first thing AI produced.
The problem isn’t that people are using AI. The problem is that everyone can tell. And when everyone can tell, it damages your credibility, your brand, and your marketing.
The good news?
AI is an incredible tool when used properly. The trick is making it sound like you — not like a robot that recently completed a business studies degree.
The dead giveaway phrases
If your content contains any of the following, proceed with caution:
- In today’s fast-paced world…
- It’s important to note…
- Delve into…
- Unlock the power of…
- Leverage…
- Transformative solution…
- Innovative customer-centric approach…
Nobody talks like this. Not in Clare. Not in Cork. Not in Dublin. And certainly not face to face over a cup of tea or coffee. Though there were a few US company meetings that may have in my past.
The quickest way to spot AI-generated content is when it sounds like a corporate brochure wrote another corporate brochure.
Your customers want you, not ChatGPT
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is asking AI to write content and then publishing it exactly as generated.
The result?
Every company sounds identical. The plumber sounds like the accountant. The accountant sounds like the hotel. The hotel sounds like the fencing supplier.
Everyone suddenly becomes passionate about “innovative customer-centric solutions.”
Real people don’t speak that way. Your customers chose your business because you’re different. Your content should be too.
Use AI for the first draft, not the final draft
Think of AI as an intern. A very fast intern. A very enthusiastic intern. An intern who never sleeps but occasionally invents facts. You wouldn’t let an intern publish content without reviewing it first.
Don’t do it with AI either.
Use it to:
- Generate ideas
- Create outlines
- Suggest headlines
- Draft first versions
- Summarise information
Then make it human. Add your stories. Add your opinions. Add your experience with the things only you know. That’s where the value lives.
The best prompt most businesses never use
Most people ask: “Write a blog about digital marketing.”
Which produces exactly the sort of content you’d expect. Instead, try:
“Write a blog about digital marketing in the tone of a slightly sarcastic Irish business owner who has spent twenty years dealing with unrealistic expectations.”
Suddenly things get interesting. The quality of AI output is almost entirely determined by the quality of the instructions you give it.
Bad prompts create generic content. Good prompts create useful starting points.
If you want to go deeper on this, our post on the ten prompts that actually make a difference is worth a read.
Add real examples
This is where AI struggles most. AI can explain theory. Humans provide reality. For example, instead of saying: “Customer service is important.”
Say: “One of our clients increased enquiries by 40% simply by fixing a contact form that hadn’t worked properly for months.”
Real examples instantly make content more believable.
Because they’re real.
Remove 30% of the words
AI loves words. Lots of words. Sometimes all the words. Many AI-generated articles can be improved simply by deleting a third of the content.
If a sentence says: “Businesses should consider implementing strategic approaches to enhance operational efficiency.” Try: “Businesses should find better ways to save time.”
Same message. Half the waffle.
Inject personality
This is where most AI-generated content falls apart. Businesses become terrified of sounding human. They remove the humour. They remove the opinions. They remove the individuality. Then wonder why nobody engages with the content.
People connect with people.
Not perfectly polished robots.
If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re direct, be direct. If you’re opinionated, have opinions. AI should enhance your voice, not replace it.
Fact check everything from AI
AI can write a convincing article about almost anything. That doesn’t mean it’s correct.
Always check:
- Statistics
- Dates
- Quotes
- Legal information
- Technical claims
- Industry regulations
AI’s confidence levels remain impressively high regardless of accuracy. Much like that one person at every networking event 😉.
The combination that actually works
The businesses getting the best results from AI aren’t the ones replacing human expertise. They’re the ones combining AI efficiency with human judgement. AI helps them create faster. Humans make it worth reading.
That’s the sweet spot. And it’s something we help Irish businesses find every day.
The final test – Use AI Without Sounding Like Everyone Else
Before publishing anything, ask yourself: “Would somebody who knows me believe I wrote this?”
If the answer is no, keep editing.
Because the goal isn’t to hide the fact that you used AI. Most people use AI now. The goal is to make sure your expertise, your personality, and your experience still shine through.
Otherwise you’re just publishing the same article as everyone else. And trust me, the internet has enough of those already.
