How do I stop AI-generated text from sounding like a robot wrote it?

The fastest fix is to paste the AI's output back into the chat and say 'Rewrite this like you're texting a friend,' because the default AI voice is trained to sound like a helpful encyclopedia, not a human. I've tested this hundreds of times. The default tone is formal, balanced, and allergic to strong opinions. That's why it reads like a textbook. To break out of that, you need to give the AI permission to be imperfect. Tell it to use contractions, start sentences with 'And' or 'But,' and vary sentence length. A prompt like 'Write this in a warm, opinionated voice with short punchy sentences mixed in' works far better than 'make it sound human.' Another trick that works well: give the AI a specific person to mimic. 'Write this in the style of a tired parent explaining something to a friend over coffee' produces much more natural text than 'write conversationally.' You can also feed the AI a sample of your own writing and ask it to match the style. Paste in three paragraphs you've written, then say 'Rewrite the following in this exact voice.' The results won't be perfect, but they'll be much closer to how you actually sound. If the text still feels stiff, check for these AI giveaways: sentences that all follow the same structure, transitions like 'Moreover' and 'Furthermore,' and paragraphs that all have exactly three sentences. For a deeper dive, see our guide on fixing AI writing that sounds too formal. Real human writing is messy. Let the AI be messy too. **Related**: Can AI writing tools match my brand voice? | What are the biggest signs a human didn't write this?