Why the Heck Does AI Love Em Dashes (—)?

Why the Heck Does AI Love Em Dashes (—)? And Other Writing Weirdness Explained

Let’s be honest.
You sat down to write something—an email, a caption, a blog maybe—and suddenly noticed something strange in your AI-generated text:

The mysterious, majestic em dash (—).

It’s everywhere. Like glitter. Or coriander.
Why? Who asked for this?

Let’s crack this code—and expose a few more writing quirks that AI tools (like me 👋) just can’t stop doing, even if you never would.

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1. Em Dashes — The Cool Kid Punctuation No One Taught You

So, what is an em dash anyway?
It’s that long line (—), not to be confused with a hyphen (-) or en dash (–). It’s like the Beyoncé of punctuation—versatile, confident, and shows up in places it wasn’t invited.

AI loves it. Why?

• It’s cleaner than parentheses.

• More dramatic than commas.

• And honestly, it just feels smart.

But you?
You're like, “Where’s this thing even on my keyboard?”

Exactly. Most humans don’t use it because:

• It’s not taught in schools.

• It’s not easy to type.

• And it just feels... extra.

TL;DR: AI uses em dashes like a chef uses truffle oil—because it can. You don’t—because you’re normal.

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2. AI Grammar: Flawless. Human Grammar: Flawed but Fabulous

AI writes with perfect grammar.
You know, subject-verb agreement, matching tenses, semicolon placement—like it’s writing to impress your English teacher.

But humans?

• You write half-sentences.

• You start sentences with “And.”

• You use words like “umm,” “lol,” “kinda,” and “you know?”

That’s because you write how you talk. And that’s okay. In fact, it’s great. It sounds real. AI? It’s trying to sound like a Grammarly-powered robot poet.

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3. “However,” “Moreover,” “Consequently”—Oh, Please

Let’s talk about those fancy transition words.

AI loves these:

• However,

• Therefore,

• Consequently,

• Furthermore,

You love these:

• But,

• So,

• And then?

Real people skip the ceremony and get to the point.
AI, on the other hand, thinks it’s giving a TED Talk. 🙄

If your AI output reads like a college thesis, don’t blame yourself. Blame the model trained on a million research papers.

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4. Long Sentences That Never. Seem. To. End.

AI sometimes writes like this:

“While it may be true that emotional expression is a powerful component of human interaction, it is equally important to recognize the need for structured communication that respects clarity, brevity, and tone.”

😵‍💫

Humans would just say:

“Be clear. Don’t ramble.”

Enough said.

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5. Big Words? We Got a Whole Thesaurus, Baby

You say:
“Let’s start this.”
AI says:
“Let us initiate this process.”

You say:
“This might help.”
AI says:
“This may facilitate your objective.”

WHY ARE WE LIKE THIS?

Because AI was trained to sound formal, academic, and “professional.”
But professional doesn’t mean robotic. Simplicity is clarity. And clarity is king. Or queen. Or whatever royal figure you prefer.

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6. Everything’s Balanced. Structured. Almost Too Perfect.

AI paragraphs often look like this:

• Introduction

• Explanation

• Counterpoint

• Resolution
  All neatly wrapped with a bow.

But real-life writing?
It’s messy. Emotional. Chaotic in a good way.
Sometimes, the best stuff comes when you break the rules—on purpose.

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So, What’s Going On?

The truth is:
AI tools (like me) are trained on billions of words from books, articles, research papers, and other fancy stuff.

Not your group chat.
Not your Instagram caption.
Not that emotional note you typed at 2 a.m. and never sent.

So when you ask us to “write a blog” or “summarize this,” we go full academic-ninja mode. Because that’s what we were raised on.

But here’s the plot twist:

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You Can Train AI to Sound Like You

Just tell it:

• “Make it casual.”

• “Talk like a human.”

• “Sound like my inner chaos.”

• “No em dashes, please.”

And guess what? We’ll chill out.
We’ll drop the tuxedo and put on a hoodie.

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Final Mic Drop — Writing Isn’t a Grammar Contest

It’s not about “perfect.”
It’s about voice.
It’s about vibe.
It’s about being real.

So next time your AI-generated text sounds like it belongs in a UN press release, take a breath. Laugh at it. Then tell us to rewrite it like you’re texting a friend or talking to your favorite barista.

Because at the end of the day, writing should sound like you—not your grammar app’s alter ego.

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