Why novelists are purposely writing 'badly' to outsmart AI
authors are abandoning structured grammar and adding intentional errors to prove they aren't chatbots. this stylistic rebellion highlights how llms are homogenizing language and forcing human creativity to evolve to remain distinguishable.
authors like laura brooke robson and editors at publications like aeon and pitchfork are actively avoiding ai-associated tropes such as em dashes and tripartite lists to distinguish their work from llms. this literary counterculture embraces idiosyncrasy and intentional errors as markers of human authorship, responding to controversies where authors were falsely accused of using ai. the movement indicates that widespread llm adoption is fundamentally altering professional writing standards, prioritizing spiky, unconventional prose over algorithmic perfection. as ai continues to homogenize content, human writers may increasingly lean into esotericism and personalization as a defense mechanism.