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ChatGPTis rapidly changing how we write, how we work and maybe evenhow we think.
But on LinkedIn, the hunt for AI-generated content has gone full Voight-Kampff.
According to some, theres now a surefire way to spot ChatGPT use: the em dash.
Yes, the punctuation mark officially defined by the width of one em.
A favorite of James Joyce, Stephen King, and Emily Dickinson.
A piece of punctuation thats been aroundsince at least the 1830s.
So why is it suddenly suspicious?
Is it really an AI tell or punctuation paranoia?
If we start policing good grammar out of fear of AI, were only making human writing worse!
The em dash isnt some fringe punctuation mark.
But that doesnt make it automatically suspicious.
Im not getting into the weeds of when and why youd use an em dash over a hyphen.
Its boring, and despite writing professionally for close to two decades, Im not sure I even know.
And thats likely why its become a so-called tell.
The em dash is ChatGPTs default dash.
Probably because it was trained on mountains of US English content, where that style is totally normal.
Still, because its slightly less common in some circles, people have latched onto it as a tell.
Capillary dilation of the dash response
Sois the em dash a tell?
But not in isolation.
If it’s from a writer or someone I know who cares deeply about well-written content, no.
If my 12-year-old son uses them in his homework, it paints a different picture, he tells me.
And thats the real issue here, context.
Therearesigns of AI-generated content.
Especially the kind we often callAI slop.
Like clunky syntax, emoji-stuffed bullet points, bizarre transitions, and overly chirpy marketing speak.
But even those arent as reliable anymore.
Some say better AI detection tools are the answer.
In theory, maybe.
Unless this is the anticlimactic moment I discover Im a replicant, the tools just arent good enough.
What actually makes AI-generated content obvious, more often than not, is bad prompting.
Rushed inputs lead to rushed outputs.
But a thoughtful prompt, a decent edit, a personal touch?
Thats much harder to detect.
So maybe were not flagging AI at all.
Maybe were just flagging laziness.
Because most people I know who use AI tools regularly arent handing over the entire process to ChatGPT.
Theyre using it for headlines, phrasing, and proofreading.
It’s helping them to do their work, not doing it for them.
But we live in a world of automation, productivity hacks, and hustle culture.
As a writer, I get the frustration.
Ill spend hours carefully crafting a piece, then watch something clearly half-baked and AI-churned rack up the views.
Theres also the elephant in the room: AI tools dont come free.
Still, the witch hunt is exhausting.
And kind of pointless.
Maybe the AI bubble will burst, and human-made content will feel valuable again.
Until then, lets stop blaming punctuation.
Because what were really afraid of isnt the em dash.
Its the slow, creeping erosion of whats real.
Its painful to live in fear.
