If This Sounds Like AI, Here’s Why It’s Still Me

Why I’m owning my process... and why clean writing doesn’t make you a robot.

Last week, some readers called me out after my last post:

"Your writing sounds like AI."

Fair enough. Now, I’d like to talk about it.

Because Still Being Human isn’t just a catchy title for me and in fact is the core of its being. Ironically being accused of sounding like the very thing I’m writing about didn’t sit well with me.

So here’s the truth:
I do use AI. Not for ideas nor voice, but for cleanup and structure. For that final pass where I make sure a good thought doesn’t get buried under unnecessary fluff.

Here’s my actual process:

-I write the ideas first: Raw. Messy &. often long-winded.

-Then, I might use AI to format, not fabricate. I like to think of it as spellcheck on steroids

-It helps me see where I can tighten things up. But the thinking? That’s all mine.

So why do some people think AI wrote my last post?
Because it looked... clean. Structured. Bullet points instead of endless blocks of text.

Here’s the thing: I started using bullet points long before ChatGPT came into the room. In my professional life, clarity/conciseness matter. When I used to send a three-paragraph email explaining a process, half the team missed it. However, compliance skyrocketed once I switched to bullet points.

I’m also a big fan of the hyphen/em dash — it forces a pause where it matters. (I even swapped some for ellipses (...) in my posts, just to look less like AI… even though the em dash has always been my go-to.)

Additionally, writing medical papers and going for a PhD engrains concise and dry writing in an active voice; this was a struggle for me many years ago as I often write how I speak (this very sentence is an example) – thank goodness I’m a fast typer!

However, all of this raises an interesting question:

When did organized writing become synonymous with inauthentic writing?
Have we really reached a point where the only way to “sound human” online is to ramble?

Look… I’m not hiding my use of AI. I’ll even say this: it makes me a better writer. It sharpens my thinking. It makes the words behave. But the thoughts? The stories? The perspective? That’s me — flaws, biases, coffee-fueled tangents and all.

If being human means being unclear, count me out. If it means owning your voice, thinking critically, and yes, using tools wisely… I’m still human. And so are you.

What do you think?
Does clean structure kill authenticity? Or is that just an excuse to distrust what we don’t understand?
What’s your take? Let me know. No bots allowed.