Justin Oberman Identifies AI’s Tell-Tale Signs in Content Creation

In a recent LinkedIn post, Justin Oberman discusses the subtle yet discernible indicators that reveal whether a piece of content was generated by artificial intelligence. Oberman, a proponent of human-centric writing, highlights specific linguistic patterns and stylistic quirks that, while sometimes obvious, can also be more nuanced and detectable by trained observers.

The ‘Nobody Talks About This’ Fallacy

One of the primary tells Oberman identifies is the phrase “Nobody talks about this.” He argues that this statement is often a red flag because the very act of stating that something is not discussed publicly means it is, in fact, a topic of conversation, thus making it likely to appear in AI training data. As Justin Oberman notes:

“Nobody talks about this.” (Everyone is talking about this. That’s why AI knows about it.)

This common introductory phrase, Oberman suggests, is a misdirection that AI often employs. The logic is that if a topic were truly obscure, an AI wouldn’t have access to enough data about it to generate content, thus necessitating a claim that it’s an overlooked subject.

Common AI Writing Patterns

Oberman further elaborates on other recurring patterns that signal AI authorship. These include:

• The phrase “Most people never do X.” Oberman posits that this is also a sign of AI, as common practices are precisely what AI models are trained on.
• The specific mention of “Last Tuesday.” He humorously points out that AI often picks this day for its perceived specificity without raising suspicion.
• The sudden appearance of em dashes in the work of writers who previously did not use them.
• The recurring stylistic choice of the construction “that isn’t X — it’s Y.”
• A contrast structure where every sentence sets up an inversion that ultimately leads nowhere.
• The frequent use of words like “gap” and “delve.”

According to Justin Oberman, while some of these are easily detectable, others require a more attuned eye. He states:

Some of them are obvious. Some of them are obvious only to trained writers.

The Deeper Tell: Writing with Purpose

Beyond specific word choices, Oberman identifies a more fundamental indicator: the underlying frequency and intent behind the writing. He argues that the true problem with AI-generated content isn’t necessarily its quality, but its lack of genuine purpose or substance.

The Human Element of Discovery

Oberman explains that the human effort previously required for writing served as a natural filter and a method for content discovery. He elaborates on this point:

But the real tell is harder to name. Because it’s less about words and phrases and more about a frequency. You can feel when someone is writing because they have something to say vs writing because they had a slot to fill.

He suggests that this feeling of purpose is palpable to readers, even if they cannot articulate precisely why. The removal of the human effort in content creation by AI, Oberman contends, magnifies this tell, making the absence of genuine substance more apparent. While acknowledging that much AI-generated content is “fine” with editing, Oberman stresses that writing is more than just assembling words; it’s about conveying meaningful ideas derived from substance.

To address this, Justin Oberman is offering a free masterclass on “How to Write Like A Human in the Age of AI” as part of his new program, Copy Hunter.