Want smarter insights in your inbox? Sign up for our weekly newsletters to get only what matters to enterprise AI, data, and security leaders.<\/em> Subscribe Now<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s talk about the em dash. Not the little innocent hyphen, not its slightly more confident cousin, the en dash. No, I\u2019m talking about the \u2018EM dash,\u2019 that long, dramatic line that AI looooooves to drop in your sentences like it\u2019s getting paid per dash. Seriously, it\u2019s the AI version of jazz hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not notice it, but most everyone else does. It\u2019s the dead giveaway that you\u2019ve let your favorite robot sidekick dress your words up in AI drag, and just like a bad wig reveal in the third act of RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, it can be\u2026 a little too much. Let me set the scene: You\u2019re writing a heartfelt email to your team. Something vulnerable, maybe even raw: \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking a lot about the way we work together \u2014 and how we can be better \u2014 not just as colleagues, but as humans.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Except, wait. You didn\u2019t write that sentence, AI did. You just wanted it to fix a typo and maybe zhuzh up the tone, but now it\u2019s full of em dashes, introspective pacing and oddly placed poetic pauses. You\u2019ve officially been \u201cEM-marked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The em dash is that long horizontal line (\u2014) that\u2019s often used in place of commas, colons, parentheses or the occasional dramatic pause. It\u2019s like the Swiss Army knife of punctuation, and AI LOVES it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Power caps, rising token costs, and inference delays are reshaping enterprise AI. Join our exclusive salon to discover how top teams are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secure your spot to stay ahead<\/strong>: https:\/\/bit.ly\/4mwGngO<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI is obsessed with em dashes the way Gen Z is obsessed with Y2K fashion; it\u2019s confusing, oddly stylish, and borderline offensive when overused. But here\u2019s the kicker: AI uses em dashes like sprinkles on a kid\u2019s cupcake, everywhere<\/em>. Even when it\u2019s not appropriate. Even when you say, \u201cNo sprinkles, please.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n I have literally typed to AI: \u201cPlease remove the em dashes.\u201d And what do I get back? \u201cGot it!\u201d followed by: Despite the dash drama, I\u2019m not here to tell you to throw out AI altogether. AI is brilliant at polishing, rephrasing and getting you out of your own mental way. But like a child with glitter glue, you still need to supervise it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are three actually-helpful tips to make sure your communication still sounds like you<\/em>, not HAL 9000 with a journalism degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always, and I mean always, write the first draft yourself. Let it be messy, typo-riddled, emotionally chaotic and uncomfortably honest. That\u2019s what gives your voice its fingerprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then <\/em>let AI fix it up, rearrange and suggest better flow, but not before. AI can\u2019t guess what you meant if you don\u2019t give it something to work with first. Otherwise, it just serves you a perfectly punctuated bowl of oatmeal with the emotional depth of a DMV form letter. Think of it like this: You\u2019re the chef, AI is just your fancy sous-chef with a tiny top hat. You tell it what you\u2019re making. You don\u2019t let it invent the recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once AI gives you its best version, rip it apart like you\u2019re editing a screenplay about a talking golden retriever that writes blogs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do a \u201cfind and replace\u201d for \u201c\u2014\u201d if you must. Replace them with commas, periods or, God forbid, actual pauses in thought. It\u2019ll instantly humanize your tone. If your sentence feels like it\u2019s being narrated by Morgan Freeman in a nature documentary, it\u2019s probably too AI-ish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After polishing, re-read it aloud. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it feels too stiff or polished, loosen it up, add a little slang. Break a grammar rule, use sentence fragments, write like you talk when you\u2019re three mimosas deep and giving your best friend life advice. That\u2019s the secret sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n AI version:<\/strong> \u201cLet\u2019s explore innovative solutions to elevate our business trajectory.\u201d Feel the difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI isn\u2019t the enemy, it\u2019s your collaborator, your co-writer, your overachieving intern who drank too much espresso and came back with a 1,200-word mission statement for a brunch flyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use it to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just don\u2019t let it be the only voice in the room. Think of it like autocorrect,\u00a0 helpful when it\u2019s right, hilarious when it\u2019s wrong and dangerous if you\u2019re not paying attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your message starts sounding like it belongs in a Wall Street Journal<\/em> op-ed, but you\u2019re just trying to email your VA about a podcast schedule, take a step back, kill the em dashes, reclaim your weird little voice, and remember: AI doesn\u2019t replace you, it just makes you sound 12% smarter\u2026 if you supervise it like a helicopter parent at a middle school dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now go forth, edit like a human, delete like a savage and send with swagger. (And please, for the love of all things analog, remove the em dashes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starr Hall is an entrepreneur, veteran publicist and marketer.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Daily insights on business use cases with VB Daily<\/strong><\/p>\n If you want to impress your boss, VB Daily has you covered. We give you the inside scoop on what companies are doing with generative AI, from regulatory shifts to practical deployments, so you can share insights for maximum ROI.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tThanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n An error occured.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>What is the em-mark for AI?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n<\/div>So, how do you sound human (but still use AI)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Human first draft, robot second<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Strip the ems (and other AI tells)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Add the \u2018you\u2019 back in<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Why you should still use AI, even if it likes em dashes more than is socially acceptable <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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