Without beating around the bush, let me conclude this first: originality beats AI. Recently, I was reading through some group chats and comments in a wellness community, and not a single message felt human. Every line sounded generated by some AI tool. While it’s great that we’re advancing, it’s also scary to see how dependent we’ve become on the system. When you read raw text, even if it’s grammatically incorrect it feels real. I encourage people to know their own voice instead of relying on a prompt. Words like tranquil, hues, transform, emotional upheaval are everywhere in AI-generated writing. I can assure you, most writers don’t actually write like that. We don’t throw random adjectives just to sound good. We paint the picture and tell the story as it is, raw.

Read this example:

A.  Raindrops cascade onto the crown of my head as the storm intensifies. The wind sweeps against me with relentless force, almost as if nature itself is resisting my movement. My usual brisk pace becomes impossible, each step slow and hesitant. Muddy splashes stain my shoes and streak the back of my pants, prompting the lingering worry of how I’ll ever clean them without a washing machine or the means to use a laundry service.

B. I can feel the drops falling on the centre of my head. I usually walk fast, but the wind is pushing hard against me, almost fighting with me. I can’t walk at my regular pace. Each step feels uncertain. Dirt splashes onto my shoes and the back of my pants and I’m thinking about how I’m going to remove these stains since I don’t own a washing machine, nor can I afford a laundry service.

See, the difference between A and B, AI can never explain such details because it hasn’t lived the life we are living. Sure, it can help us brainstorm, break writer’s block or generate thousands of words per second. But it can never bring the essence of lived experience. You can always tell when something is written by AI. I’m not against AI, I think it’s a marvelous creation. However, like AI itself would say, it’s a testament to writers to stay aware. Continue practicing your own voice. Even if it’s imperfect, it’s real.

– Divya Priya Rajalingam