Writing with AI

How to stop AI from sounding generic

Use source material, specific constraints and editing passes to produce writing with a point of view.

Generic output usually comes from generic inputs. The fastest fix is not a larger prompt—it is better evidence of what “good” means in your situation.

Give it something real to work with

Provide customer quotes, firsthand observations, rough notes, examples or a draft. Original raw material gives the model facts and texture it cannot infer from a topic alone.

Name the language to avoid

Point out the patterns that weaken your writing: broad claims, corporate phrases, dramatic em dashes, rhetorical questions or excessive lists. Concrete exclusions are easier to follow than “sound human.”

Separate drafting from editing

Ask for structure first, then a draft, then an editing pass for voice. Trying to solve research, organization and polish in one step often flattens the result.

Keep the final judgment

AI can propose and refine language, but you decide what is true, appropriate and distinctly yours. Delete anything you would not say out loud.

Try it in practice

Choose one prompt from the library and improve it using a single idea from this guide.

Explore the prompt library