AI-generated email bingo.

The reason people will stop using AI to do their emails… their ads… pretty much any form of content…

Is because they will – eventually – notice humans don’t respond to it.

In fact:

A study from Gartner found that most buyers can ALREADY spot AI-generated content…

Within only two sentences!

(And when they do? The trust drops by 44% – according to this study.)

So we’re already moving in that direction.

This happens because emotion is the only reason people buy – every decision (not just buying decisions but them especially)…

…people make on emotion, and then they justify that decision with logic.

Most Mercedes owners didn’t buy a Mercedes because it’s „a good car“ – if you truly wanted a good car you’d buy something like a Toyota…

No.

Most Mercedes owners (and I used to be one) buy it because it gives them a status boost (i.e. an emotional reason).

But they JUSTIFY that emotional reason – to both themselves and others around them – with the „because it’s a good car“.

(i.e. a logical reason. And btw Mercedes is absolutely NOT „a good car“ – I had plenty of trips to the mechanic over the 5 years I drove one.)

On a somewhat related note:

I can’t find the source anymore, but I once read a study on how they made people – who are MISSING their amygdala (i.e. part of your brain responsible for processing emotions) – try and make simple decisions:

• What clothes to put on…
• What drink to have with their meal…
• What toothpaste to use for brushing their teeth…

They couldn’t – they froze.

They literally couldn’t make the decision PURELY on logic.

This is the problem with AI – it tries to appeal/sell/market to you on logic.

Why?

Because an AI doesn’t have emotions, it can only „mimic“ them – but almost everyone can spot the pretense from a mile away…

(Probably why that Gartner study found it only takes two sentences to spot AI-generated content.)

So using it to craft anything that tries to persuade someone to buy…

…is a bit like trying to use a firecracker to power a rocket to the moon.

It’s the wrong tool for the job.

Doesn’t stop me from seeing a bunch of marketing emails copy-pasted straight from a ChatGipty prompt.

Take this email, promoting some creatine, from a pretty big sports nutrition brand in the US:

===

Creatine earns its place in nearly every routine. It supports strength, recovery, and even mental performance––without complicated timing or protocols.

Start simple. Stack smart. Let creatine support better sessions and sharper days.

Unlock 20% off today!

===

Let’s do a bit of ChatGipity „bingo“ shall we?

ChatGipity Tell #1 = The Vocabulary Quirk:

„Unlock 20% off today!“

It’s always some words like „unlock“, „unleash“, „empower“, „embrace“ etc.

Doesn’t mean you can’t use these words… but they’ve become an almost irreplacable part of the AI syntax, kind of like the em-dash.

Which brings me to it:

ChatGipity Tell #2 = The notorious em-dash:

„even mental performance––without complicated timing„

One of the reasons why I absolutely HATE chatbots is for ruining the em-dash for me.

(That’s this long line right here „––„ )

I absolutely LOVED using it in my writing before the release of chatbots – but I had to pivot to an en-dash because it’s become such a clear-cut AI writing tell…

…people automatically accuse you of using AI even if you didn’t.

(en-dash is this „–„ it’s basically a shorter em-dash.)

I hope your pillow is warm tonight Sam Altman.

ChatGipity Tell #3 = Abuse of the „Rule of Three:

„Start simple. Stack smart. Let creatine support better sessions and sharper days.“

Examples, adjectives and metaphors ALWAYS come in threes.

It’s never 2 examples… or 4 examples… or 5 examples…

No, it’s always:

„messy, human, and real“

„simple, practical, and powerful“

„brilliant, brave, and bold“

Robotic.

ChatGipity Tell #4 = Formulaic phrases:

The classic: „Whether you’re (A), (B), or (C), this is for you.“

It’s a super common setup meant to sound inclusive, but it’s always suspiciously broad.

(Not to mention that it also abuses the „Rule of Three“ lol.)

This one isn’t in the creatine email I’ve featured – which is kind of surprising because this is one that I see THE MOST out of any other ChatGipity tell.

Here it is – in a few marketing emails – from sports nutrition brands:

===

Whether you’re pushing PRs or turning up the heat after dark, we’ve got what you need to perform at peak.

===

===

Whether you’re focused on lean muscle, daily recovery, or adding size, choosing the right protein helps support your training, nutrition, and results

===

===

Whether you’re chasing gains, enduring intense workouts, or simply need better rest, Nightmare helps you recharge and wake up ready to conquer.

===

===

Whether you’re lifting heavy, training fasted, or cutting calories, Nutrex EAA’s help you train smarter and recover stronger.

===

Enough?

Because I can unironically do this all day – I won’t run out of fodder any time soon.

Anyway…

Hopefully this demonstrated how this magical „timesaving“ miracle of technology given to us mere mortals from the godly Tech Bros straight from Mount Olympus…

Is not offering anything satisfying in return.

No human/customer/prospect/lead/subscriber will stay in a relationship like that for long – they will move onto something else when they feel no connection to the slop that ChatGipity spits out.

(And if that Gartner study is to be trusted, they’ll move on to something else after a „whopping“ two sentences.)

Humans don’t want words on a page – they want to feel ALIVE.

Now as I’ve said many times in this newsletter…

This is quite an opportunity for anyone willing to double down on humanity.

Because that looks like to be the trend – it’s going to become a bigger and bigger value proposition over the coming years.

I recently saw an article with the title: „How This Became the Season of Hating on AI“ – which then went on to cover how Hollywood is increasingly adopting „anti-AI stances.“

(If that tells you anything.)

Not to mention how it isn’t even a secret anymore that YouTube is actively cracking down on AI slop videos.

If it isn’t tragic, then it’s funny…

It’s funny how almost every single big corporation is reaching the same „oh shit oh fuck everyone hates this and it’s not working the way it was sold to us“ point at the exact same time.

(Almost like listening to the Altmans, Huangs, and Musks on AI-related topics… is the equivalent of asking your barber whether you need a haircut – what do you expect him to say?)

But you don’t even need to take on this pro-human opportunity because of any moral or ethical reasons – you can do it purely because that’s where the money is.

It actually seems to be the best practical decision you can make.