Most of the statements in this article are purely the opinion of the author (that’s me – Cassia). But the rest of it is just straight-up facts.

I work a lot both in and around AI. It’s an excellent tool that can be leveraged to cut down on time and effort for practically any task.

However, it also drives me absolutely, positively nuts.

Mostly because it’s fairly predictable and it’s goddamn everywhere.

Why would that drive me insane?

Because AI uses some typical persuasive writing techniques, and while these used to be reserved for those who took writing classes or speech, they’re now used ad nauseam in every bit of copy you can find.

So, let’s dive into a few of these techniques and why we (I) hate them.

1. Contrast Framing

Contrast framing is a persuasive technique used to get the reader to think about opposing sides.

Here are a few examples:

“We’re not just an IT vendor — we’re a business partner.”
“The first step is understanding what’s working — and what’s not.”
“Most cyber incidents don’t start with a sophisticated attack. They start with something simple.”

Typical framing includes these:

• “Not X. Y.
• It’s not about X. It’s about Y.
• Most X don’t do Y. They do Z.

To me, it’s a bigger AI flag than an em dash.

While this is a typical persuasive technique and it absolutely has its place, it is most often seen in LinkedIn posts, service pages, and more. Save it for when you have an ACTUAL comparison you want to frame for the prospect to change their mindset. They KNOW they don’t want cybersecurity threats; you don’t have to position that as an option.

2. Triadic Phrasing

Triadic phrasing is another common tactic used by AI. It is also called the Rule of Three and is psychologically rooted in our little gold-fish brains. Essentially, people don’t want to read a long explanatory sentence. They have neither the patience nor the attention span for it.

They want all that vital information chunked out into repeat, rhythmic segments.

For example:

• life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
• reduce, reuse, recycle
• people, processes, tools

Our brains really like simple things that have a beginning, middle, and an end. Hence, the pleasant 3-segment follow-up explanation that you see so often in AI copy.

Here are a few examples:

• “When we investigate security incidents, the cause is usually something small that slipped through. A missed patch. A weak password. An alert that nobody saw.”
• “A system outage slows everything down. Orders stall. Work backs up. Customers notice.“

Large language models learn patterns from:

• speeches
• marketing copy
• persuasive writing

Those sources use triads constantly because they:

• create rhythm
• sound polished
• feel persuasive

See what I did there?

Isn’t it easy to read batched triads in a bulleted list?

So, why do I hate it?

The same as all the others, because it is overused. It happens with practically every anecdotal example told from the perspective of a real person, but without any of the genuine voice that would go behind the experience.

3. Landscaping

You’ve seen it:

• In today’s digital landscape…
• In today’s rapidly evolving environment…
• In this modern cyber world….

It is annoying as hell to see “landscape” used in anything unless you’re talking about when to plant zinnias in a zone 3.

4. Confirmational Authority

• The reality is…
• The truth is…
• The key is…

This one’s a little more difficult to be angry about because it doesn’t read as strictly AI. But it is used a lot in AI copy and can be a little yellow warning flag.

5. Motivational Closes

Again, this one appears a little lower on the annoyance list because it is relevant. However, it’s very typical in AI slop.

Here’s the example:

• “The question isn’t whether your organization will face a cyber threat. It’s whether you’re prepared.”

These phrases also tend to follow the same pattern as contrast phrasing. They try to set a stage or understanding with a counterpoint to say – “Are you doing the thing?” But they rarely offer real value. If you must use it, make it actually motivate them. Put a fire under their…backside.

A Simple Test for Your Content

Ask:

Would someone actually say this in a conversation with a client?

Honestly, if it doesn’t read like a person in a conversation, then it likely isn’t. Some companies definitely lean heavily into a professional tone, which is intentionally without personality. It is the beige wall of brand voice. Does this mean they’re using AI? Maybe. Doesn’t matter. What you’re trying to get to the root of is what the voice of your brand is while using AI. It doesn’t mean you have to exclude it, but don’t let it run the show.

But Cassia, what do I do with this info?…

Great question, fellow marketer or business owner. The objective is to either have someone actually write copy or to refine your GPT to avoid the above common writing styles. Here’s your very helpful AI parameter rule that can help you clear out the AI garbage and then revise your voice.

AI Prompt to Clear Out Slop

AI Parameter Rule — Remove Typical AI Sentence Patterns

Goal: Produce copy that sounds like a real person: practical, accountable, specific, slightly rough around the edges.

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Hard Constraints (must obey)

Follow these strict voice rules:

1. No contrast-framing (no “Not X — Y”):
   • Forbid sentence pairs that follow the pattern: “Not X. Y.” or “It’s not X. It’s Y.” or “Most X don’t… They…”
   • Detectable patterns: \b(It'?s not|We're not|We're no[t’]|Not just|Not only)\b — if found, rewrite to observational/experience form.
2. No rule-of-three / triadic lists:
   • Do not produce three parallel fragments or three short noun-phrases separated by commas with a final “and.”
   • Detect simple triads: pattern like \b[A-Za-z]{2,15},\s*[A-Za-z]{2,15},\s*and\s*[A-Za-z]{2,15}\b — prefer a single concrete example or uneven list.
3. No “In today’s …” / “In this … landscape” openers:
   • Block phrases: “In today’s X”, “In today’s digital landscape”, “In this X environment”. Replace with a concrete situation or recent example.
4. No universal authority absolutes with no evidence:
   • Block sentence starts like “The reality is”, “The truth is”, “The fact is”. Instead, anchor claims with: “In our experience…”, “When we investigated…”.
5. No generic “Businesses need to / Organizations must” templates:
   • Replace with outcomes or observed consequences: e.g., “When monitoring fails, outages go unnoticed.” Not “Businesses must monitor…”.
6. Avoid perfectly balanced mirrored clauses (no neat lists of 3+ polished benefits):
   • If a sentence contains 2+ clauses matched in length/structure for rhetorical symmetry, prefer breaking into specific short statements or a single concrete example.

Please note: This should be used in conjunction with a prompt that defines your business voice/tone. This does NOT automatically give you great, personalized, and AI-free copy. It just helps clear out the things I personally don’t want to see anymore. (So, this is really all for my own benefit, you see.)

Good luck and happy copywriting!