TL;DR:

• Google’s AI Overviews now reach over 1 billion users monthly in more than 100 countries.
• The feature uses generative AI to enhance search results and connect users with relevant content.
• AI Overviews support multiple languages and drive increased traffic to publishers, businesses, and creators.

The Future of Search is Here

Imagine searching for something on Google and instantly finding exactly what you need. No more sifting through countless websites or trying different keywords. This is now a reality with Google’s AI Overviews, which are transforming the way we search and discover information online.

What are AI Overviews?

AI Overviews use generative AI, a type of artificial intelligence that learns patterns from data and creates something new. In this case, it helps users find information more easily and connects them with relevant websites across the globe.

Global Expansion

Starting this week, AI Overviews will be available in over 100 countries, reaching more than 1 billion users monthly. This expansion includes support for multiple languages such as English, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

“People prefer using Search with AI Overviews, and they find their search results more helpful.” – Srinivasan (Cheenu) Venkatachary, VP of Search Quality, Google

Benefits for Publishers, Businesses, and Creators

AI Overviews are not just beneficial for users; they also create new opportunities for publishers, businesses, and creators. Here’s how:

• Increased Visibility: AI Overviews display relevant website links more prominently, both on desktop and mobile.
• In-line Links: Google recently introduced in-line links within the text of AI Overviews, driving increased traffic to supported websites.
• Ad Opportunities: Ads now appear in AI Overviews for relevant queries on mobile, helping businesses connect with users more effectively.

How AI Overviews Work

AI Overviews use advanced AI algorithms to understand the context of your search query better. Here’s a simple breakdown:

1. Understanding Intent: The AI tries to understand what you’re looking for.
2. Generating Overview: It creates a summary or overview based on relevant information from various sources.
3. Displaying Results: It shows you the overview along with links to relevant websites.

The Power of Generative AI

Generative AI is a game-changer in the tech world. It can create new content, like images, music, or text, after learning patterns from data. In the case of AI Overviews, it helps generate useful summaries that make searching more efficient.

The Road Ahead

With AI Overviews, Google is set to revolutionise the search experience globally. As AI continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovative features that enhance our digital lives.

Prompt: Explore AI Overviews

To see AI Overviews in action, try searching for something on Google. Look for the summarised information at the top of your search results. This is an example of AI Overviews at work.

Comment and Share:

What’s your experience with AI Overviews so far? How do you think AI will change the future of search? Share your thoughts and don’t forget to subscribe for updates on AI and AGI developments.

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• To learn more about AI Overviews, tap here.

TL;DR

• Spotting AI-generated content can be particularly straightforward when you know the common patterns to look for.
• AI-generated content often relies on repetitive, formulaic phrases, making it easy to identify.
• Buzzwords and filler language reduce engagement and can make content feel impersonal.
• Using too many transitional and generic statements dilutes authenticity and trust.

Customising content with specific examples and avoiding overused phrases creates stronger connections.

Can You sSpot AI-generated Content?

Artificial intelligence is reshaping content creation, offering speed and scale but occasionally at the cost of authenticity. Recognising common AI language patterns is becoming essential, as formulaic phrases can make text sound generic. In this article, we’ll explore how to spot these patterns and share strategies to keep content fresh and engaging, giving it a truly human touch.

Why Recognising AI-Sounding Language Matters

For professionals in writing, marketing, and strategy, understanding these language patterns can transform how they engage audiences. The issue isn’t with AI itself but with how certain language choices create a “default” AI tone. This often gives readers a sense of being spoken at rather than being spoken to, which can erode connection and reduce engagement.

Identifying AI language Through Recognisable Patterns

AI writing tools often streamline content creation with structured language, yet this leads to certain words, phrases, and sentences that feel familiar—and not always in a good way. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most recognisable phrases and suggestions for making content more genuine.

1. Overused Buzzwords and Phrases

AI-generated content is often littered with impressive-sounding industry buzzwords that lack substance and sound repetitive. These include:

• “Revolutionise,” “Transform,” or “Next-generation”
• “Cutting-edge” or “State-of-the-art”
• “Leverage” and “Optimise”
• “Game-changing”

Such words aim to be impactful but often feel empty. Replacing them with specific, concrete language improves readability and credibility, avoiding the impression of a polished but hollow message.

2. Vague or Redundant Expressions

Some AI phrases aim to create flow but can feel redundant and overly polished, including:

• “Ultimately,” “All in all”
• “It’s important to note”
• “It is worth mentioning”

These expressions often pad out content without adding value, making readers feel as though they’re getting “filler” instead of real insight. Keeping sentences lean and purposeful can significantly improve the reader experience.

3. Overly Polished Transitional Phrases

AI tools often rely on polished transitional phrases, which link ideas but can feel formulaic. Phrases like:

• “Consequently,” “Furthermore,” and “Additionally”

are useful in moderation but can quickly make content sound mechanical. Instead, try using informal links or even questions to guide readers naturally through ideas, enhancing engagement and making content flow more naturally.

4. Generic Sentence Starters

AI-generated content often begins sentences with broad statements that feel detached. Examples include:

• “Many people believe…”
• “There are many ways…”
• “It is widely known that…”

These vague openers risk losing the reader’s attention. Human writers typically offer specific insights or intriguing details from the start, which readers find more engaging.

5. Impersonal General Statements

AI often uses broad phrases to create context but can come off as detached and impersonal. These include:

• “Some would argue…”
• “From a broader perspective…”
• “It has been observed that…”

Personalising content with unique insights or actionable information creates a stronger sense of connection with the audience, keeping readers interested and engaged.

6. Repetitive Explanations

AI tends to repeat phrases to simplify content, but it often feels redundant. Examples include:

• “To put it simply…”
• “This can be broken down into…”
• “What this means is…”

These phrases become repetitive quickly, losing their intended clarifying effect. Instead, using precise language and avoiding unnecessary repetition ensures content stays engaging and valuable.

7. Common AI Phrasing in Descriptions or Analyses

When explaining ideas, AI often sticks to predictable phrases that sound clinical. These include:

• “This has led to an increase in…”
• “The primary benefit of this approach is…”
• “There are several factors to consider”

Human writers can create more engaging analysis by using fresh phrasing or offering new perspectives on familiar topics.

8. Filler Language and Informational Add-Ons

AI-generated text often includes filler language that, while aiming to create interest, tends to dilute the message:

• “An interesting fact is…”
• “Did you know that…”
• “One thing to consider is…”

Readers value conciseness and relevance, so cutting filler phrases helps keep the focus on meaningful content that adds real value.

What Happens When You Use Words and Phrases Like This Already?

Using these patterns can have a noticeable impact on content effectiveness, sometimes negatively influencing reader perception, trust, and engagement.

1. Reduced Reader Engagement

Buzzwords and vague phrases may catch initial interest but can lead to disengagement. If content seems to lack depth, readers may stop reading before reaching the main message.

2. Loss of Trust and Authenticity

Readers value authenticity, and over-relying on generic phrases can make content feel detached or even inauthentic. This perceived lack of connection can lower reader trust and lessen the impact of your message.

3. Diluted Brand Voice

Every brand has a unique voice, and AI-sounding language can drown it out, creating a message that feels like everyone else’s. Readers connect more deeply with distinctive, authentic voices that are not simply repeating industry-standard language.

4. Reduced SEO and Long-Term Impact

As search engines evolve, they prioritise content demonstrating “expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.” Formulaic language risks sounding less credible, which can reduce ranking effectiveness over time. Search engines reward high-quality, engaging content, and AI-sounding text can struggle to meet these standards.

Crafting Authentic, Human-Centred Content

Identifying and avoiding these common phrases lets brands and professionals focus on what matters—connecting with their audience through authenticity, relevance, and value. Here’s how to avoid the pitfalls of AI-sounding content:

Prioritise Specificity

Replacing generalities with examples or data points boosts credibility. Instead of “Data-driven insights drive growth,” say, “Brands using consumer-focused insights have seen a 30% boost in engagement.”

Vary Sentence Structure

AI often produces repetitive structures, making content feel monotonous. Varying sentence length and style keeps readers interested, creating a rhythm that feels human.

Limit Transitional Phrases

Instead of stock transitions, experiment with questions or informal links to create natural flow, allowing ideas to connect without sounding forced.

Add Personal or Unique Insights

Adding original insights can elevate writing, making it relatable and distinct. Readers value authenticity, so expressing a unique perspective or anecdote adds value and fosters connection.

The Role of SEO in Human-Centred Writing

While AI-generated content may rely on keywords for SEO, a balanced approach keeps content engaging without compromising readability:

• Relevance: Focus keywords on the reader’s search intent and integrate them naturally into the content flow.
• Keyword Variation: Human writers can use keyword variations to avoid repetition, maintaining relevance while keeping the text fresh.
• SEO in Headings: Using keywords naturally in descriptive headings improves readability and search ranking.

Final Thoughts

As AI technology advances, understanding language patterns helps professionals humanise content, avoid formulaic language, and keep audiences engaged. Recognising these patterns can guide content creators in connecting with readers in a memorable, relatable way.

Join the Conversation

Can you spot when a piece of content was generated by AI? What phrases make you immediately suspicious? Share your thoughts and join the discussion on how we can make content more human! And don’t forget to subscribe for updates on AI and AGI developments!

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TL;DR:

• AI models like ChatGPT use vast amounts of text, often without permission.
• The New York Times has sued OpenAI for copyright infringement.
• You can protect your writing by editing your robots.txt file.

The Rise of AI and Its Hunger for Words

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the world, but it comes with challenges. AI models like ChatGPT require enormous amounts of text to train. For instance, the first version of ChatGPT was trained on about 300 billion words. That’s equivalent to writing a thousand words a day for over 800,000 years!

But where does all this text come from? Often, it’s scraped from the internet without permission, raising serious copyright concerns.

The Case of The New York Times vs. OpenAI

In a high-profile case, The New York Times sued OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, for copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI scraped millions of articles from The New York Times and used them to train its AI models. Sometimes, these models even reproduce chunks of text verbatim.

“OpenAI made three hundred million in August and expects to hit $3.7 billion this year.” – The New York Times

This raises a crucial question: How would you feel if AI models were using your writing without permission?

The Looming Content Crisis

AI companies face a potential content crisis. A study by Epoch AI suggests that AI models could run out of human-generated content as early as 2026. This could lead to stagnation, as AI models need fresh content to keep improving.

“The AI field might face challenges in maintaining its current pace of progress once it drains the reserves of human-generated writing.” – Tamay Besiroglu, author of the Epoch AI study

Protecting Your Writing: The robots.txt File

So, how can you protect your writing? The solution lies in a simple text file called robots.txt. This file tells robots (including AI bots) what they can and can’t access on your website.

Here’s how it works:

1. User-agent: This is the name of the robot. For example, ‘GPTBot’ for ChatGPT.
2. Disallow: This means ‘no’.
3. The slash (/): This means the whole website or account.

So, if you want to block ChatGPT from accessing your writing, you would add this to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

How to Edit Your robots.txt File

If you have your own website, you can edit the robots.txt file to block AI bots.

Here’s how:

• Using the Yoast SEO plugin: Go to Yoast > Tools > File Editor.
• Using FTP access: The robots.txt file is in the root directory.
• Using the WP Robots Txt plugin: This is a simple, non-technical solution. Just go to Plugins > Add New, then type in ‘WP Robots Txt’ and click install.

Once you’re in the robots.txt file, copy and paste the following to block common AI bots:

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Disallow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /

User-agent: Omgilibot
Disallow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: Claude-Web
Disallow: /

The Common Crawl Dilemma

Common Crawl is a non-profit organisation that creates a copy of the internet for research and analysis. Unfortunately, OpenAI used Common Crawl data to train its AI models. If you want to block Common Crawl, add this to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: CCBot
Disallow: /

The Future of AI and Copyright Law

The future of AI and copyright law is uncertain. Until the laws change, the best way to protect your writing is to block AI bots using the robots.txt file.

“Until they change copyright laws and intellectual property laws and give the rights to he with the most money — your words are yours.”

Comment and Share:

How do you feel about AI models using your writing without permission? Have you checked your robots.txt file? Share your thoughts and experiences below. And don’t forget to subscribe for updates on AI and AGI developments!

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• To learn more about robots.txt files, tap here.