AI writes a decent first draft. The problem is the draft that goes out untouched. Customers may not say "a robot wrote this," but they feel it, and trust drops. Here are the five tells we see most, pulled from real small business websites and review replies.
1. The apology that says nothing
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced." Any inconvenience? You know what happened. A human writes "we were 40 minutes late and that's on us." Vague apologies read as nobody-home, which is worse than no reply at all.
2. Adjective stacking
Exceptional, seamless, unforgettable, expertly crafted. AI reaches for intensity when it has no specifics to offer. One concrete detail (the year you opened, the cookie that sells out by noon) beats five adjectives.
3. The phrase parade
"I hope this message finds you well." "We would be thrilled to." "Don't hesitate to reach out." None of these are wrong, but together they form a fingerprint. If your email could be sent by any business in America, it was probably drafted by the same model they all use.
4. Enthusiasm without memory
AI replies to a five-star review with "We're thrilled you had an amazing experience!" A human remembers the appointment: "You sat through three hours of foils without complaining once." Memory is the one thing AI cannot fake, which makes it your cheapest differentiator.
5. Answers that dodge the question
Ask an AI-written FAQ how to cancel and you get "our dedicated staff will guide you through our streamlined process." A human answer has the actual rule: 30 days notice, form at the front desk, two minutes. Specificity is the tell, in both directions.
The 60-second fix
Keep using AI for drafts. Before anything ships, do one human pass: add a detail only you would know, cut the filler phrases, and read it out loud once. If it sounds like you, send it.
Think you can spot the difference? Play Spot the Bot, our free game with ten real-world pairs. Most people miss at least two.