Fixing 'AI-sounding' prose: Japanese dev finds a one-line prompt that works
i_dg23 · x · 2026-09-18
Developer @yaneuraou describes how AI copy-editing makes prose feel unmistakably 'AI-flavored': unnaturally short sentences, excessive line breaks and bullet lists, declarations like 'the key point is', vague 'it is generally said' claims with no sources, and a formulaic closing suggestion.
After long trial and error he landed on a magic phrase: "Please don't write like something a fool wrote for fools." Surprisingly, this dramatically improves output—sentences get longer and the model researches citations properly. He wryly notes this implies the AI always knew its default style was dumbed-down, yet kept producing it anyway.
As a punchline, the post itself was AI-edited using that very phrase. The practical takeaway: explicitly telling the model who the reader is and what style to avoid is the fastest way to strip the AI accent.
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