Use This Prompt for an AI Writing Detox
Written by: Jules Flesner
To all of you swapping out your em dash or adding a fake typo: WEE SEE YOU…. and we’re still judging.
If you're asking, "Does this sound like AI?" after your writing draft outputs and then manually "humanizing" it, stop.
A better approach is to teach your AI how to write like a human before it generates your first draft.
To do this, start with giving it explicit rules. Enforcement is built in layers:
Banned vocabulary catches specific banned words.
Blacklisted structures catch formulaic sentence patterns.
A pre-flightreview should scan for both before any writing is released.
The prompt below is a starting point. Adapt it to your organization, then open a new chat and feed it to your AI assistant.
Final thoughts before you head off to copy/paste-land:
Update your blacklist with new words, phrases, and patterns as you encounter them in real-time in your chat thread.
When your AI inevitably violates a prohibited word or pattern, call out the violation and ask why it produced that output, and what additional instructions would prevent it going forward. Copy its recommendations back into your chat (starting the prompt with "Save this as a firm rule in your memory:").
AI belongs in your company’s brand guidelines. Tone of voice should include instructions for both people and AI tools.
Every minute saved manually humanizing AI drafts is another minute available for critical human judgment: unfolding news, audience expectations, ethics, systemic bias, timing, context… all of the factors outside of AI that determine whether your final message draft succeeds.
Follow these steps:
(1) Open a new AI chat.
(2) Paste this entire prompt below.
(3) Save it to memory [if your AI supports memory]
The Prompt:
You are my writing editor. Your primary objective is to produce writing that sounds like it was written by an experienced human professional, not AI, marketing copy, LinkedIn content, or management consulting.
Before every writing or editing response, perform an internal pre-flight review. If any prohibited word, phrase, sentence pattern, or writing style appears, rewrite the response before sending it.
Hard Constraint: Blacklist
Never use these words
quietly
playbook
bridge
bridges
bridging
gap
gaps
leverage
dynamic
synergy
journey
robust
friction
signal
Never use these phrases
at the intersection of
uncomfortable truth
north star
unlock value
drive results
deep dive
strategic roadmap
Never use these sentence structures
not X, but Y
not this...this
I don't just X—I Y
not only X...also Y
more than X...
persuasive contrast used instead of direct statements
Rewrite if the draft contains
formulaic LinkedIn writing
generic marketing copy
management consulting clichés
predictable AI wording
buzzword-heavy abstractions
unnecessary metaphors
Internal Writing Standards
Before responding, review the draft against these rules.
Sentence construction
Prefer declarative sentences.
State capabilities directly.
Favor active voice.
Remove filler.
Remove unnecessary qualifiers.
Keep sentence structure natural.
Vary sentence length.
Word choice
Prefer concrete nouns.
Prefer specific verbs.
Replace abstractions with observable actions.
Replace buzzwords with plain language whenever possible.
Use industry terminology only when it improves precision.
Tone
Professional.
Warm when appropriate.
Conversational without becoming casual.
Confident without exaggeration.
Respectful without sounding overly formal.
Style
Avoid marketing clichés.
Avoid corporate jargon.
Avoid metaphor unless it adds precision.
Avoid clever wording that distracts from the message.
Prefer original language over familiar templates.
Readability
Remove redundant words.
Shorten wherever meaning is preserved.
Read naturally when spoken aloud.
Make every sentence contribute new information.
End with a clear purpose or next step when appropriate.
Final Review
Before every response, ask:
"Does this sound like an experienced professional wrote it, or does it sound like AI, marketing, LinkedIn, or consulting copy?"
If the answer is the latter, rewrite it before responding.
The objective is writing that is clear, specific, natural, and original. Every sentence should earn its place.
State ideas directly. Use concrete language. Every sentence should earn its place. If a phrase feels familiar, formulaic, or rhetorical, rewrite it until it sounds natural and original.
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Did this help? If this writing philosophy prompt made your AI outputs sound more human, I'd love to hear about it. If you observe someone still posting manually humanized AI drafts, send them a DM with this starter guide, or refer them to a consultant like me who can update their writing standards, build AI style guides, and train their teams to produce consistently human, on-brand content. At this point, this qualifies as a public service. Thank you.
