How to Rewrite AI-Generated Text | 6 Key Steps

If you’re using AI-generated text as part of your writing process, you’ll know that the output usually needs a bit of editing to ensure it’s accurate, engaging, and stylistically appropriate.

Knowing how to rewrite AI-generated text is about understanding where the AI typically needs some human input and being able to efficiently implement the necessary changes.

To rewrite AI-generated text, you’ll need to:

• Check the content carefully
• Review the terminology and phrasing
• Break up any unnatural repetitive patterns
• Proofread your edits

What is AI-generated text?

AI tools like ChatGPT use generative AI technology to produce the responses to the prompts you give them. The texts they generate are based on predictions of what the next word (or fragment of a word) is likely to be, not facts or phrases fetched from a human-like memory.

These statistical predictions are remarkably authentic, but often need some rewriting to mold them into a polished final product.

Look out for potential issues with:

• Statements with subtle inaccuracies
• Repetitive sentence patterns
• Unnatural word combinations
• Inconsistency of tone

6 key steps to rewrite AI text

These six steps will help you rewrite and refine AI-generated text so it’s accurate, natural, and tailored to your audience and brand.

Step 1: Check the content

Imagine you’ve been asked to write a biography of a classical musician—a text that can be used in the printed programs of the concerts she performs in. Her agent sends you her CV, which contains detailed information about her career, and you ask ChatGPT to write a biography based on it.

You like the AI text, but, on careful reading, spot that the following aspects need some editing.

• It claims “her career spans over four decades,” but it’s actually five.
• It mentions a conductor who is better known as a composer, which might confuse the average reader
• As well as performing, the musician also teaches, and it says that her “students hold leading positions in major orchestras,” but these are actually “former students.”
• The concluding paragraph claims that “Tonight’s performance offers a rare opportunity” to hear her play. But the text may be used for concerts in locations where she performs regularly.

You’ll typically have to rewrite parts of AI-generated text to fix subtle inaccuracies and potentially confusing statements like these.

Step 2: Vary overused structures

AI-generated texts can follow formulaic patterns that give them a mechanical quality. Examples of repetitive features you’ll need to fix with a few edits include:

• Paragraphs and sentences that are very similar in length
• Excessive repetition of topic-related keywords
• Unnecessary repetition of the same ideas or information
• Overuse of particular structures, such as sentences with additional information within em dashes (e.g., “Her discography—encompassing over 50 recordings—has garnered accolades including …”)

Step 3: Check the terminology

When you’re reading through the AI output, keep an eye out for words and phrases that are too technical or specialized for your audience or context.

Returning to our classical musician example, the AI has described her as “also a pedagogue,” so you decide to rewrite this as “also a teacher.” And it’s used the German term “Konzertexamen” to describe a university degree she completed in Germany, so you reformulate this to “postgraduate performance degree.”

Step 4: Refine the tone

Prompts that get the best results often include descriptions of:

• A persona (e.g., “You are a copywriter who specializes in classical music”)
• Voice (e.g., “informative,” “factual”)
• Tone (e.g., “professional and respectful,” “using language suitable for a classical music enthusiast rather than an academic”)

Even with a well-crafted prompt, you’ll still need to work on the phrasing so it matches your specific text type or your client’s brand voice.

For instance, “She has graced the stages of leading international festivals” might feel too promotional for a concert program, so you could change it to, “She has appeared at leading international festivals.” Similarly, you might decide to remove generic, clichéd descriptions of her playing, such as “expressive depth, technical brilliance, and stylistic sensitivity.”

Step 5: Run it through a humanizer

Tools like QuillBot’s free AI Humanizer will help you to rewrite your AI-generated texts. They’ll suggest alternatives to words and phrases you think sound out of place as well as edits to make it sound more natural.

Try using a humanizer at different points in your workflow. For example, you can:

• Run the raw AI-generated output through it at the beginning of the process and work from that
• Use it at intermediate stages to help you come up with alternative phrasing
• Apply it at the end to help make the final refinements

Step 6: Proofread

AI-generated text is very accurate when it comes to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. But with every edit you make, there’s a chance of introducing a typo—so it’s still important to proofread carefully before you hit “publish” or send the text to a client.

And don’t forget, you can use AI tools like QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help with this step too.

Frequently asked questions about how to rewrite AI-generated text

What are some common AI words?

Some common AI words are:

• Tapestry
• Crucial
• Intricate
• Interplay
• Elevate
• Resonate
• Enhance
• Offerings
• Leverage
• Embark

Just because you see one of these words in a text doesn’t mean it was written by AI. But these words are commonly used when AI generates content.

If you’re learning how to detect AI writing, brushing up on common AI words is one way to do that.

You could use the QuillBot AI Detector to analyze writing and see if it looks like it was created by AI. You can also use our AI Humanizer to rephrase and refine the text.

How do I spot AI-generated text?

One easy way to spot AI-generated text is to use an AI detector, which analyzes text features to determine whether they are more similar to human-written or AI-generated samples.

You can also sometimes spot features of AI-generated text on your own. AI content tends to be more predictable and formulaic than human content and sometimes has a stiff or formal tone.

When you’re trying to detect AI writing, keep in mind that no approach is 100% reliable. QuillBot’s free AI Detector provides a detailed report that gives percentages for both AI-generated and AI-refined content, which can help you make more informed decisions.

Can you use AI to rewrite text?

Yes, you can use AI to rewrite text.

You can use a humanizer tool, like QuillBot’s, to humanize AI text.

You can also use a paraphraser, like QuillBot’s free Paraphraser, to rewrite your own texts.

How can I use AI for writing?

There are many opinions about how to use AI for writing, and these may vary based on the industry or subject matter at hand.

For example, AI copywriting may be acceptable, but in academic writing, you should avoid relying completely on AI to generate output. Educators know how to detect AI writing and may use an AI Content Detector.

You can use AI to help you brainstorm research questions or organize an outline. When you use AI in these capacities, check if your institution requires you to include it as a citation.

You can also use AI to humanize AI outputs in appropriate contexts.