Why AI Shaming Only Makes Writing Worse

Scroll through LinkedIn or Twitter these days and you’ll see it: posts littered with deliberate typos, random “honestlys,” and the occasional overshare about someone’s dog walk at 5 a.m. The subtext? “Look at me, I’m definitely human.”

It’s the latest trend in the AI era: AI shaming. The fear that your words might “sound like ChatGPT” has created a strange reverse arms race, where people deliberately write worse to prove they’re real.

The Authenticity Spiral

This all started with good intentions. As AI-generated content flooded feeds, readers wanted “authenticity.” The problem is, authenticity got redefined not as clarity or originality, but as flawed.

• Add a typo to look less polished.

• Overshare a random personal detail to look “human.”

• Sprinkle filler words (“honestly,” “super,” “kinda”) to show imperfection.
  

The result? Writing that tries so hard to not sound like AI that it ends up unreadable.

Authenticity vs. Attention

The irony is brutal: in trying to be authentic, people are actually writing for an algorithm — just not a digital one. They’re writing for the human algorithm of suspicion.

Instead of asking: “Does this post have value?” the question has become: “Does this post prove I didn’t use AI?”

That shift doesn’t elevate the content. It drags it down.

What Readers Actually Want

Here’s the thing: readers don’t care if you used AI or not. They care if you:

• Made a clear point.

• Told a story worth reading.

• Shared an insight they can’t find anywhere else.
  

Typos and filler words don’t convince anyone you’re human. They just convince people you’re sloppy.

The Real Flex

Maybe the real flex in the AI era isn’t proving you didn’t use a tool. It’s proving you have something to say.

Because no matter how advanced AI gets, it can’t replace:

• Your lived experience.

• Your unique perspective.

• Your ability to connect ideas in ways a model can’t.
  

That’s what makes content compelling. Not the extra “honestly” wedged into the third paragraph.

Breaking the Shame Cycle

So how do we avoid this authenticity trap?

• Stop apologising. If you used AI, own it. If you didn’t, no need to prove it.

• Focus on value. Share insights, stories, and lessons that matter.

• Edit with intent. Human writing isn’t perfect — but it’s purposeful.

• Trust the reader. People are smarter than you think. They can tell when a post is meaningful versus when it’s playing authenticity theatre.
  

The Bottom Line

AI isn’t the villain in our writing. Shame is.

The more we contort ourselves to prove we’re “not AI,” the worse our writing gets. The real win isn’t sounding human — it’s being worth reading.

So let the typos go. Let the filler words rest. Forget about proving authenticity. The only authenticity that matters is having a point.

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