How to humanise AI 8 min read

Why real people are still essential for content creation

AI-generated content is everywhere. It’s fast, scalable, increasingly convincing, but, too often, painfully generic. Readers can tell, and so can Google. If your copy lacks depth, originality or a human voice, it won’t perform. But it can be refined.

By combining smart tech with real human insight, you can make AI text more human, keep content ranking, and create copy that actually connects.

A double-edged sword

AI tools have made content creation faster and cheaper than ever, and up to 4.7x cheaper according to Ahrefs. In just seconds, anyone can generate blogs, landing pages, and product descriptions at scale. These tools are being adopted at speed, with 67% of small businesses using AI for content marketing and SEO.

As a result, sites and social media are now flooded with AI-generated content. It’s readable, but not remarkable. We’re wading through a sea of generic intros, recycled ideas, and lifeless tone. And while some of this content may rank briefly, Google’s algorithms are catching up fast.

The alarming risks of AI-generated content

Relying too heavily on unedited AI content could damage your site in the long run. Google has made it clear: content must be helpful, original, and people-first. Not written purely to game the system.

An easy tip for detecting AI in your writing is to read it aloud. If it sounds hollow, vague, or like a dozen other pages you’ve seen before, your readers (and Google) will feel the same.

What google wants from content

Google’s Helpful Content update changed the game for all of us. Now, Google is prioritising content written for people, with less of a focus on keywords. All articles need to genuinely inform readers, solve their problems, and demonstrate real-world expertise.

We can’t manipulate rankings by churning out keyword-stuffed content anymore.

EEAT up

At the core of this shift is E-E-A-T:

• Experience
• Expertise
• Authoritativeness
• Trustworthiness

It’s not enough to cover a topic, you need to prove you understand it. That’s where human-written content still outperforms AI every time.

Look out for red flags

Signs you’re chasing the algorithm instead of serving the reader: 

1. Unnatural overuse of keywords
2. Thin or repetitive copy
3. Generic phrasing with no specifics
4. Promised but underdelivered answers

Google’s getting better at spotting these red flags. AI-generated content vs human content often comes down to one filling a gap and the other building trust bridges.

Unedited AI copy lacks the nuance, insight, and tone that makes content truly useful. Worse, publishing too much of it can trigger ranking penalties under Google’s Helpful Content guidelines.

AI desperately needs a human touch

AI can mimic grammar, it can structure sentences, it can even follow prompts fairly well, but it lacks authenticity.

Even the most advanced tools fall into the familiar traps of repeated phrases, clunky structure, overuse of em dashes, and a fondness for tired expressions. Many also default to Americanisms, which is bad news for our side of the pond.

These are subtle clues, but they chip away at trust.

Beyond that, AI struggles with the stuff that actually makes copy persuasive. Things like tone, nuance, and cultural understanding. It can’t read the room. And it certainly can’t write in a way that feels natural and well-judged.

Learning how to humanise AI writing starts with treating its output as the first draft. To make AI sound more human, you need trained writers who understand language. Writers who can ask, ‘Would anyone actually say this?’ and ‘What would make someone care?’

How to humanise AI content (without starting from scratch)

Turning that first draft into something worth publishing takes skill. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, only make sure that it actually turns.

Here’s how to humanise AI properly:

01: Edit with empathy

Would you read this? Would you believe it? Would you buy from it? If the answer’s no, neither will your audience. Great content earns its attention.

02: Spot and swap the tells

• Omit repetition, misused tone, and filler
• Cut generic lines and throat-clearing
• Replace vague stats with real ones
• Restructure anything that sounds robotic

03: Localise your language

One of the quickest ways to make AI text more human, and more relevant, is to root it in your region. Use spelling, dates, idioms, and measurements from your area.

04: Insert insight

AI doesn’t know your customer pain points, your product USPs, or what your audience really cares about. So include useful and accurate examples in your prompts or rewrites.

05: Get a human to finish the job

No matter how advanced the AI, the final polish has to come from a real writer. Someone who understands your brand voice, strategy, and goals.

They have the skill to make readable content high-converting.

Examples of humanised AI

If you’ve ever asked an AI tool to ‘write a blog introduction’ or ‘sum up a service offering’, chances are you’ve seen something like the below.

These examples are typical of unedited AI cop. They’re vague, overly wordy, and full of the same tired phrasing. We’ve also included how we’d go about editing them.

01: Homepage intro for a digital agency

‘In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, staying ahead of the competition is crucial. At Bamboo Nine, we offer innovative, bespoke solutions tailored to your unique business needs. Our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to delivering results-driven strategies that help you grow and succeed in the digital world.’

Our edit:

Stay competitive online with Bamboo Nine. We focus on clear strategy, backed by experience, to help your business grow. Everything we do is practical, measurable, and built around your goals.

— We specify the vague and swap the industry cliches in favour of something direct and grounded. The copy now communicates what we do, how we do it, and why it matters – quickly.

02: Blog intro on the benefits of SEO

‘Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a powerful tool that can elevate your online visibility, drive organic traffic, and transform your digital presence. In this blog, we’ll explore why SEO is more important than ever and how it can benefit your business in today’s competitive online environment.’

Our edit:

SEO helps people find your business in online search. In this blog, we’ll explain why it still matters, and how it can drive the right traffic to your site.

— This revised version sounds like a person talking, not a machine. There’s no forced formality or inflated phrasing. We dropped the buzzwords and gave a clear reason to read on.

03: Product description for an eCommerce client

‘Our cutting-edge, user-friendly solution is designed with your convenience in mind. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, this product is perfect for anyone looking to optimise their workflow and unlock new levels of efficiency.’

Our edit:

Built to simplify your workflow, our tool helps teams of any size work more efficiently by automatically repetitive tasks and keeping everything in one place.

— We removed the empty adjectives that tell the reader nothing, replacing them with a concrete benefit instead, speaking directly to what the product does and why it helps.

Don’t settle for samey

There are a hundred different ways you could edit the copy above, but we wanted to give you a side-by-side to spot the differences and show some classic AI-isms in action.

Be clear, be confident, and be real. That’s what actual copywriters bring to the table, and it’s what keeps your content from blending into the background.

What we do at Bamboo Nine

AI is a tool that helps us automate many manual tasks and work more efficiently. In content, we use it where it helps: to speed up research, spark ideas, or draft structures. The real work is done by our people.

Speed doesn’t matter if what you’re speeding up is isn’t grounded in strong strategy and data-backed research into what your audiences want to read.

Be it a traffic-driving blog post or a lead-generating sales page, our SEO copywriters edit every piece with intent, ensuring tone, accuracy, and value are spot on. We can adapt quickly and agilely to produce content that actually connects and converts, in ways a robot just can’t.

Find out how we make your content count

If you want to rank higher, engage better, and convert more, your copy needs a human edge.

We align strategy, SEO, and expert copywriting to make sure every word pulls its own weight in the progress of your campaigns. Get in touch to see how our Organic team can help your business get seen, clicked, and remembered.

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