Observed Signal · May 4, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: DEV Community · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
32 Patterns That Make Writing Sound Like AI
Adam Dunkels published a developer blog post cataloguing 32 linguistic and typographic patterns that tend to make prose look AI-generated. He prompted Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini to produce sample texts, then had Claude analyze them to surface recurring "instant tells," hedging/weakeners, and statistical patterns (e.g., em‑dash overuse, filler phrases, uniform sentence length). The article provides examples and practical rewrites, and links two tools Dunkels created to detect and remediate such "slop": an in‑browser slop detector and a Claude Code skill called deslop-text. The post also links to SonarSource’s State of Code Developer Survey, noting survey findings about developer trust in AI‑generated code. Publication date: 2026-05-04.
Practical guidance and small developer tooling for identifying AI‑style writing; useful for content quality and creator trust but not industry-shifting for AdTech/MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Adam Dunkels published an article listing 32 patterns that make writing appear AI-generated.
- Dunkels used outputs from Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini and asked Claude to identify recurring patterns, which it reported as 32 patterns.
- Dunkels released two tools: an in‑browser "slop detector" (adamdunkels.github.io/is-it-slop/) and a Claude Code skill named deslop-text (github.com/adamdunkels/deslop-text).
- The article references SonarSource’s State of Code Developer Survey, citing that 96% of developers do not fully trust AI-generated code and 48% always check it before committing.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Five Signs a Text Was Generated by AI
t3n published a guide describing five indicators that can help readers spot AI‑generated texts. The article cites popular generative tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and lists telltale signs such as accidentally copied chatbot prompts, repetitive floskeln and buzzwords, frequent use of em‑dashes, uniform sentence and paragraph lengths, and the absence of neologisms or colloquial/dialect language. It notes these markers are not definitive and that dedicated AI‑detector tools exist but have limitations. The piece is positioned as practical advice for readers and editors to assess the likelihood that a text was produced by a chatbot.
AI Writing Vibe Shift Accelerates
The newsletter analyzes recent signals showing a shift in attitudes toward AI-generated writing: Substack is partnering with Pangram to detect AI-written posts, LinkedIn introduced a 'Seems Like AI Slop' feedback button, Anthropic announced an invisible watermark (and a watermark API) for Claude outputs to meet EU transparency rules, publishers and agents are drawing lines on suspected AI-authored manuscripts, and several tech companies and marketing teams are instituting internal guidelines discouraging AI-written copy. The piece frames these moves as part of a broader industry move toward transparency and protecting brand voice.
AI Is Rewiring Language and Changing How We Write
This editorial examines evidence that large language models (notably ChatGPT) are changing human writing and speech patterns via a feedback loop: models are trained on human text, generate statistically optimized prose, and humans then absorb those patterns. Cited empirical work includes a Max Planck analysis of ~280,000 YouTube videos showing sharp rises in specific words after ChatGPT’s release, a Cornell study finding AI suggestions homogenize writing toward Western styles, and an MIT Media Lab preprint warning of reduced cognitive effort when people rely heavily on chatbots. The author warns of broader risks—loss of linguistic diversity, cultural flattening of non‑Western English, and a decline in independent writing skills—while noting language’s resilience and emerging social pushback against AI‑polished prose.
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