How to Edit AI Content to Sound Human: 5 Proven Techniques

Oh, sounds so robotic! Why?!

AI models are trained on massive datasets containing billions of words. This helps them create mostly grammatically correct and information-rich text. However, they still struggle to replicate the layered thinking, emotional nuance, personal experiences, and a distinct human brand voice.

• Repetitive sentence structures: They tend to circle back to certain keywords and patterns. ⇾ Instead, vary sentence length and structure to add rhythm and flow to the text.
• Lack of emotion: The writing often feels flat and detached to readers. ⇾ Instead, add a human moment (a quick anecdote), a specific emotion (frustration, relief, embarrassment), and one concrete consequence.
• Generic language: The points often stay vague and could apply to anything. ⇾ Instead, use a real scenario + specifics (who/where/what), add one example, and name the exact action or outcome.
• Overly formal / unnatural wording: The wording often sounds stiff and not how people actually speak. ⇾ Instead, use simpler everyday words, shorter sentences, and active voice.
• Unnatural transitions: The connections between ideas can feel mechanical and predictable to a human reader. ⇾ Instead, use natural transition words like “however” or “furthermore” to make the text feel more like a conversation.
• No brand voice: They often miss the unique tone, vocabulary, and style you’ve built for your company. ⇾ Instead, upload pre-prepared style guides or brand documents to the AI tool to help it better understand the voice.

AI drafts can save time, but there is often a noticeable gap in quality compared to a strong human-written draft.

The Editor’s Touch

Taking an AI-generated draft and giving it a soul requires a strategic eye and an editor’s skill. Let me explain in more detail.

1. Adjust the voice and tone

Every brand has a personality. This personality dictates the tone (friendly, formal, humorous, authoritative, etc.) and overall feel of the text. AI typically uses a neutral tone. Your job is to adjust this neutrality to fit your brand’s voice.

• Choose keywords and phrases: Identify words your brand often uses, or avoids. For example, in my YESH Style Guide 2025, I stay away from buzzwords like “unlock” or “revolutionize.” Instead, I aim for direct, clear, and trustworthy language instead.
  
  Just a quick note on this: When necessary, I use any buzzword or word related to AI. Because these words weren’t created by AI; they each have their own specific meaning. Every word can be used in the right place.

2. Storytelling and anecdotes

People love stories. Information shared through a story, experience, or example is often more memorable than dry facts.

• Add personal touches: Talk about your own experiences or real events from the industry. Specializing in a topic is important for this reason: as you become an expert, you gain personal experiences and insights, which makes it easier to add these details to your content. If you don’t have this expertise, a good solution can be to find someone who does and feature their insights in your content.
• Address your audience’s pain points: Make your content relatable by highlighting your audience’s specific frustrations. Observe them in communities to see what they’re struggling with. Bring up those problems and offer a solution. Use platforms like Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, BlueSky, and X to see what your audience is actually talking about.
• Use concrete examples: Instead of staying abstract, use a specific scenario or situation to explain a concept.

3. Flow and transitions

AI-generated text can often feel choppy between paragraphs or sections. This is a bad reading experience.

• Use transition words like “however,” “furthermore,” or “meanwhile” to create a clear bridge between ideas.
• Balance short, punchy sentences with longer, more descriptive ones. This gives the text rhythm and flow.
• Make sure each paragraph logically follows the one before it and guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next.
• Sometimes, asking a question can lead into the next paragraph and intive the reader think and engage with the text. For example, “So, how can you handle all this operational stress?”

4. Factual accuracy and authority

AI still often can’t provide fully up-to-date or perfectly accurate data, especially on recent events or fast-changing topics. It can also hallucinate, generating made-up or inaccurate information and stories. On the other hand, correcting false information or updating old facts is critical for maintaining your brand’s credibility.

• Always verify: Independently check the information AI gives you, especially numbers, quotes, and claims.
• Cite sources: Citing sources, especially for research or statistics, increases the authority of your text.

Consider adding a fact-checking phase to your content creation process. If you want to know more about how to fact-check your content, read my detailed guide.

5. Cut the fluff and strengthen the narrative

AI can sometimes add filler words or repetition that don’t add value.

• Use stronger verbs and nouns: Choose more specific and concrete words instead of vague, general ones.
  Weak: We made an improvement to the product.
  Strong: We optimized the product.
• Watch for jargon: Talk in a way your target audience will understand. Avoid overly technical terms, or explain them if you must use them.
• Change passive to active voice: Make your writing clearer and more dynamic.

I’ve compiled all these techniques into a 2-page checklist you can download and apply instantly. Download the checklist here.

With that in mind, I built a writing and editing prompt for SaaS blog posts. Check my LinkedIn post to get the full prompt for free.