Human or Machine? How to Tell If Business Content Was Written by AI

In the modern digital age of rapid growth and development, it is now more difficult than ever to differentiate between human-created content and the content produced by artificial intelligence (AI). Particularly, business content should be of a certain quality and authenticity that would not merely convey the main ideas but also appeal to its target audience. Since AI writing tools such as GPT-3, GPT-4, and others are in a constant state of improvement, it is essential that businesses understand how to determine whether a piece of content they are reading is written by a machine or a human being. This article explores the major peculiarities of the AI-produced business content and provides practical advice on distinguishing it.

Learning AI Content Generation in Business Writing

Artificial intelligence has transformed the business content generation, whereby companies have been able to write articles, blogs, reports, and marketing materials within a fraction of the time that a human writer would have done. Modern AI tools are sophisticated enough to generate their content in a grammatically correct, well-organised, and readable form. Nevertheless, it can be said that there are still signs that can tell when a piece of content was created by AI.

Although websites and AI-powered tools such as Write My Essay AI are commonly used by students to help draft essays and academic papers, AI writing still has distinct characteristics that carry over into business content. Understanding how machines generate text – and where they lack context or intent – is key to telling AI-written content apart from human writing.

Major Indications that AI Wrote Business Content

AI text might appear to be impeccable at a glance, but a more thorough look will reveal a few patterns that may enable you to detect machine-written texts. Some of the warning signs to be observed include:

The absence of deep insight or nuance

The content created by AI is not always as deep in knowledge or personal experience as that which can be offered by a human writer. Although AI can tap into large databases and can create factual data, it is weak in providing original thoughts, emotional involvement, or a subtle perception of complicated business matters. 

For example, a digital marketing trend via a blog post may include a reference to the use of AI tools in marketing campaigns, but it will not be able to portray the precise effect of the use of a particular tool on customer relationships.

Unnaturally formal or stiff language

Most AI systems are conditioned to be neutral and formal, which may be unnatural. Human authors, however, are more likely to make their writing more personal, use colloquial expressions and diverse sentence constructions. When the content is too robotic, structured, or mechanical, that is a sign that it was probably created by a machine.

Monotonous expression and notions

AI writing services are characterised by a tendency to repeat the phrases or ideas that are used without substantial modifications, and thus, the content of the text is repeated. It is especially noticeable in business writing, where one paraphrases the ideas in a slightly different manner to get the required number of words.

For instance, in a business article, one may mention the same things in various parts, e.g., mentioning that customer service should be improved in many places, but not provide a different point of view.

Lack of real-life examples 

Although AI is capable of working with vast volumes of data, it does not have the capacity to incorporate real-world instances that would be relevant and applicable to the events at hand, local patterns, or specific company experiences. The human authors tend to give case studies or practical examples that show their relevant knowledge.

AI-written business material can contain generic illustrations of the application of AI technologies, such as many businesses have needed to adopt AI technologies, instead of detailed and thought-provoking case studies.

The Impact of AI Content on Business Communication

AI-based business content is not bad in itself, but it is limited to some extent. In the case of companies that want to sound natural and establish trust with their followers, over-dependence on AI may be a problem. Here's why:

• Absence of brand voice: One of the major components of any business is its brand voice, as it depicts its values, mission, and culture. Although AI may recreate style and tone, it might lose the authenticity of a certain voice of a company, and thus, the content would be generic.
• Reliability and engagement: Readers, particularly in a business setup, can very easily sense when something has not been done by humans. It is more difficult to trust and engage with more automated or machine-like content.

To alleviate this, companies can strategically blend AI text that is geared towards content length, speed, and accuracy, and human writers geared towards high-value, emotional, and brand-centric content.

Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Determine AI-Generated Business Content

In case you are assigned the task of determining whether a piece of business content is created by an AI or not, the following step-by-step procedure will help you to see the difference:

1. Check the quality of writing

• Find coherence: Is the content flowing properly, or does it feel like it is forced? AI can have a problem with the smooth flow of ideas, and the transition between paragraphs can be forced.
• Determine sentence variety: AI will produce similar patterns in sentence structure, and thus, rhythm and pacing are not varied.

2. Look for inconsistencies

• Fact-check: Although AI can access a massive amount of information, it is not entirely reliable. Check any old information or errors that are not appropriate according to industry standards.
• Review tone: Does the tone remain similar in the content? Artificial intelligence may change the tone inexplicably, being too formal or even more conversational, which may cause confusion in the text.

3. Evaluate the use of sources

• Identify cited data or examples: AI lacks the ability to reference a particular source or make relevant, detailed, and accurate references. The authors of human works usually mention trustworthy sources that add to the general accuracy and reliability of the work.

4. Identify the use of generic phrases

• Search for cliches: AI-generated work tends to indulge in cliches and repetitions. These may be words such as cutting-edge technology, leading-edge solutions or innovative strategies in business writing. These phrases might be attractive initially but lack concrete details that make the reader interested in the text. A human author, however, will have a higher probability of composing original language that directly addresses the audience and gives new insights instead of clichés.
• Predictable and meaningless buzzwords: AI writing often relies on vague and commonly used buzzwords, such as synergy, game-changer, or disruptive innovation, which are often overused and undefined. These buzzwords have the potential of watering down the message and rendering the writing superficial. Human authors prefer not to indulge in wordplay and tend to be as clear as possible by putting emphasis on specific words that effectively represent the subject under discussion.

Final Thoughts 

Although AI is evolving the world of business content creation extremely fast, there are multiple means to differentiate between human-written and machine-written content. It is important that businesses are careful of the quality, tone, and depth of the writing to be able to keep the communications engaging, insightful, and authentic. Despite the fact that AI may be a useful resource to create fast content, it is unable to substitute the creativity, personal touch, and strategy of human writers. The steps mentioned above will help businesses to balance efficiency and authenticity in their content creation process in the most appropriate way.

In the modern digital age of rapid growth and development, it is now more difficult than ever to differentiate between human-created content and the content produced by artificial intelligence (AI). Particularly, business content should be of a certain quality and authenticity that would not merely convey the main ideas but also appeal to its target audience. Since AI writing tools such as GPT-3, GPT-4, and others are in a constant state of improvement, it is essential that businesses understand how to determine whether a piece of content they are reading is written by a machine or a human being. This article explores the major peculiarities of the AI-produced business content and provides practical advice on distinguishing it.