November 3, 2026·2 Min. Lesezeit

Your texts have AI tells: avoid them

The prompt to paste into ChatGPT's custom instructions.

Wikipedia has a page, Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing, where its editors list the tells that give away a text written with AI. First I'll show you what they are, then how to get ChatGPT to stop using them, step by step.

The tells that give away an AI text

  • "It's not X, it's Y" and "not just X, but also Y".
  • Everything in groups of three.
  • Words like "crucial", "pivotal" or "leverage".
  • Tails that interpret what came before: "..., solidifying its position".
  • Em dashes (—) everywhere and decorative bold.
  • Endings like "in summary" or "looking ahead".

One on its own proves nothing. When three or four show up in the same paragraph, you notice.

Step 1: ask ChatGPT to read the Wikipedia guide

Open a new chat and paste this:

Search Wikipedia for the page "Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing" and read all of it, every section.
The page it has to read
The page it has to read

If your ChatGPT can't search the web, open the page yourself, copy all the text and paste it into the chat.

Step 2: have it write you a rules prompt

In the same chat, ask it to turn that page into rules:

Using what that page says, write me a rules prompt so my texts don't have those tells. Keep it under 5,000 characters, because I'm going to paste it into ChatGPT's custom instructions.

If you want to skip steps 1 and 2, here's mine. It has 4,980 characters and fits in the custom instructions, which allow 5,000.

Step 3: open the custom instructions

  • On the web, click your name at the bottom left. On your phone, open the side menu and tap the gear.
  • Go to Settings and then Personalization.
  • Scroll down to Custom instructions and tap ChatGPT.
Custom instructions, at the bottom of Personalization
Custom instructions, at the bottom of Personalization

Step 4: paste the prompt and save

Copy the prompt, paste it into the instructions field and save. It only applies to chats you open from then on, so start a new one to try it.

Before and after

Before: Martin's Bakery stands as a true landmark at the heart of the neighbourhood. It's not just a bakery, it's a meeting place. With its commitment to quality, tradition and innovation, it plays a pivotal role in local life.

After: Martin's Bakery opened in 1987 on Verdi Street. It makes sourdough bread and bakes at 7, 12 and 6 pm. A baguette costs €1.40.

If a detail is missing, ChatGPT asks you for it or leaves a [DATA] in the gap instead of filling it with adjectives.

Sources: Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing and blader's humanizer skill (MIT licence).