Eau de ChatGPT: Why Everything’s Starting to Smell the Same

Have you noticed how everything’s starting to sound…the same?

Emails…LinkedIn posts…articles...

There’s a certain whiff about them.

And it’s called Eau de ChatGPT.

A recent study by Cornell University found that when workers in India used AI writing tools, they ended up sounding more American.

AI is skewing writing towards Western styles and stripping out the beautiful nuances that differentiate our cultures.

It’s all same, same, same.

It’s like travelling halfway around the world on holiday and being met with exactly the same shops as back home.

We’ve seen it all before.

And in our crazy busy world, if your writing doesn’t feel unique or fresh, it’s dead in the water.

Clients, colleagues and stakeholders will just scroll on by.

So my advice to you is this:

Lock down your signature writing style right now. Before it’s too late.

Write down 3 words on a Post-it to describe your writing personality and stick it by your screen.

Use this as a filter to make sure you stand out in everything you write.

For example, my three words are: warm, energetic and funny. (Maybe I should add humble too…)

So even if I use ChatGPT or Claude to help me, I’m still reminded of who I am and how I want to come across.

And if warmth, energy or humour ever go AWOL, I add a great big dollop of ‘em back in.

That way, my writing stays distinctive and unignorable.