Key Points:
- AI didn’t invent the em dash. It learned it by recognizing patterns in human writing.
- The biggest risk of AI-generated content is the loss of personality, uniqueness, and brand voice.
- Authentic writing comes from perspective, experience, and judgment.
The em dash has had a good run. Long before it became associated with ChatGPT and other AI models, the punctuation mark was a favorite tool of some of history’s most renowned writers. Emily Dickinson used it so frequently that it became known as the “Dickinson dash” for a time. Virginia Woolf employed it to demonstrate the interruptions of human thought. James Joyce relied on it to mimic stream-of-consciousness, a famous technique in his writing style.
For centuries, writers have utilized the em dash to create emphasis or indicate an interruption in speech. It was an effective writing tool, creating natural pause and connecting ideas in a way that felt conversational. Then AI came along.
Since then, the humble em dash has taken on a surprising reputation (or gained infamy!) as perhaps the most tell-tale sign of AI-generated writing. Readers are hyper-vigilant for its use. Some writers have abandoned it completely out of fear that their works will be dismissed as fake or machine-generated.
But is the em dash actually dead? Not quite. But its transition from a literary device to an AI stereotype does reveal how artificial intelligence is changing the way we write, edit, and communicate.
Why Does AI Use Em Dashes So Often?
Generative AI tools are designed to produce language based on patterns found in existing text. In training, these large language models are fed huge amounts of text, which teaches them the patterns of language. Humans have used em dashes so heavily in articles, books, and other written works, that AI has discerned them as a common device that lends a natural flow to writing. In other words, AI models use the em dash because it learned to do so from us.
Writing in the Age of AI
Early AI-generated content was quite easy to spot because it sounded generic and didn’t follow the natural and conversational patterns of human speech. But AI models are constantly learning, evolving, and becoming more sophisticated every day. They can produce content that is clear, organized, and grammatically correct. However, a piece can be perfectly polished but still lack the personality and originality that triggers a response and fosters human connection. A sentence does not effectively communicate a thought or idea because it is perfectly structured. Without using judgment to know what to say, what not to say, and how to connect with the person reading it, it’s entirely ineffective. That’s where AI still falls short.
AI can be a handy tool for brainstorming ideas, creating outlines, organizing ideas, refining language, and pushing past writer’s block. But it does not (yet) understand audiences on a human level. It still requires human expertise to shape a message and add context and emotion. For businesses especially, the biggest risk with relying too heavily on AI-generated content is loss of brand voice. Website copy, articles and blog posts, and social media posts should sound thoughtful and intentional, not just polished. And sometimes, that might mean using an em dash.
The problem isn’t that AI writes poorly. The conversation surrounding AI-generated content is really much greater than the em dash. It’s about authenticity, originality, and human connection. In the age of AI, the most successful communicators will be those who treat the tools as collaborators, knowing where they can be helpful, and where human judgment cannot be replaced.
A Eulogy for the Em Dash
And so, we gather here today to remember the em dash. Not because it has died, but because it has become misunderstood.
Once a hallmark of literary flair and an unmistakably human voice, it is now scrutinized by editors, professors, and anyone else trying to discern whether a machine had a hand in writing a piece of content.
The em dash didn’t change. We did. We taught machines to write like us, then became suspicious when they did. But authenticity never lived within a single punctuation mark, and history suggests that the em dash just might make it out alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does ChatGPT use em dashes so often?
ChatGPT often uses em dashes because they are common in polished, conversational writing patterns found in its training data.
How can you make AI-generated writing sound more human?
AI-generated writing becomes more human when it is edited for brand voice, specificity, audience needs, and personal expertise.
Will AI replace professional writers?
AI is unlikely to replace skilled writers because effective communication requires strategy, creativity, judgment, and a deep understanding of audiences.
