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   Mignon Fogarty (grammargirl@zirk.us)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 03:54:35 JST Mignon Fogarty

   OMG, em dashes are not a sign of AI writing!

   I kept hoping this myth would burn itself out, but no — the idea that em dashes are a sign of AI writing just keeps spreading. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I crashed a segment into the latest Grammar Girl podcast.

   The whole thing seems to have taken off after a popular GenZ culture podcast advised people to stop using the “the ChatGPT hyphen.” (And I have to confess it kills me that they didn't even know the name for it.) 🧵

   • Embed this notice
     Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 03:54:33 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎

     in reply to

     @grammargirl
     I am not sure I understand what "software-based AI detectors" are, or more exactly, what *non*-software-based AI detectors are. Could you give me a pointer on this specific topic?

   • Embed this notice
     Mignon Fogarty (grammargirl@zirk.us)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 03:54:34 JST Mignon Fogarty

     in reply to

     Here’s what else I found:

     — There is some research showing that AI tends to overuse certain words, like "delve" and "meticulous." But this is based on looking at hundreds of thousands of papers and can't really tell you anything about one piece of writing. Don't stop using these words!

     — Software-based AI detectors are also quite bad at what they're supposed to do.

     — Marginalized groups are far more likely to be falsely accused of having used AI in their writing, and this causes real harm.

   • Embed this notice
     Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 04:17:11 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎

     in reply to

     @grammargirl

     Thanks for the clarification!

   • Embed this notice
     Mignon Fogarty (grammargirl@zirk.us)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 04:17:12 JST Mignon Fogarty

     in reply to

     • Albert ARIBAUD ✎

     @aaribaud Good point. I supposed "software-based" is unnecessary. I'm just talking about the tools a lot of schools use on student papers. TurnItIn is one example. They upload student papers, and it will supposedly say whether they are written by AI.

     I believe some of them give percents, like 100% written by AI or 40% written by AI.

     They're not accurate, and they're particularly bad on the writing of people who don't speak standard English or for whom English isn't their first language.

   • Embed this notice
     Alistair K (libroraptor@mastodon.nz)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 16:40:18 JST Alistair K

     in reply to

     @grammargirl @aaribaud The same can be said of many non-software AI detectors who call themselves "Professor".

   • Embed this notice
     Albert ARIBAUD ✎ (aaribaud@mastodon.art)'s status on Wednesday, 18-Jun-2025 16:40:39 JST Albert ARIBAUD ✎

     in reply to

     • Alistair K

     @libroraptor

     I believe there's a test to distinguish between the two: tell them they are wrong and see if they apologize profusely.

     @grammargirl