# Short answer

Slack messages look “AI-generated” when they contain **AI punctuation** (smart quotes, em dashes), **over-structured formatting**, and **overly polished phrasing**.

The fastest fix is **punctuation normalization** plus slightly rougher, more human Slack structure.

You don’t need to rewrite. You need to remove the obvious tells.

## Key idea

Slack is where “professional polish” becomes “suspicious polish.”

In newsletters, em dashes and perfectly balanced paragraphs are fine. In Slack, they read like a generated template.

Here are the most common Slack AI tells, in order of impact:

- Em dashes everywhere — especially spaced em dashes ( — )
- Smart quotes (“ ”) and curly apostrophes (’)
- Perfectly even paragraph rhythm (3–4 lines each)
- Too much structure: headings + subheadings + “Key takeaways”
- Overly diplomatic tone (“I hope this message finds you well” energy)

This post focuses on what you can fix quickly — without changing what you’re actually trying to say.

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## Slack-specific tell #1: AI punctuation

AI tools love:

- Em dashes (—) as the default connector
- Spaced em dashes ( — ) in casual messages
- Curly quotes (“ ” / ‘ ’) and curly apostrophes (’)

None of this is “wrong.” It just doesn’t match what people type in Slack.

### The quick replacements

- “ / ” → **"**
- ‘ / ’ → **'**
- — / — / \-\- → **\-** (or parentheses)

Brutal truth: a spaced hyphen is normal in Slack. An em dash isn’t.

---

## Slack-specific tell #2: over-structured formatting

Slack isn’t a memo. When a message looks like a mini blog post, people assume it’s generated.

Common “AI structure” patterns in Slack:

- Headline + subheadline + “Short answer”
- Too many bullet layers
- Perfectly balanced sections

Slack style is usually: short intro, bullets, quick ask, done.

### A more human Slack structure

Instead of:

> **Update:** Here are the key takeaways…  
> **Context:** …  
> **Next steps:** …

Do this:

> Quick update:  
> • what changed  
> • what it affects  
> • what you need from people (if anything)

---

## Slack-specific tell #3: “too polite” phrasing

AI writes like it’s trying not to offend a committee. Slack doesn’t.

Watch for these patterns:

- “Hope you’re doing well” in internal threads
- Long disclaimers and hedging (“it may be possible that…”)  
- Over-explaining obvious context

Slack writing is direct. It’s allowed to be slightly imperfect.

### Fast humanization rule

Cut the first sentence if it’s “polite filler.” Keep the content.

---

## How to fix this on Mac (without wasting time)

### Option 1: Manual replace (fine if it’s rare)

If you only paste AI output occasionally, do quick find/replace in your editor before sending.

- Find: — Replace: -
- Find: “ Replace: "
- Find: ” Replace: "
- Find: ‘ Replace: '
- Find: ’ Replace: '

### Option 2: Normalize before you paste (best if it’s daily)

If Slack updates are part of your job, you want an automatic cleanup step.

A macOS tool like [Purifai](/content/site-root.html) normalizes punctuation and strips paste artifacts before the text reaches Slack:

- “ / ” → "
- ‘ / ’ → '
- — / — / \-\- → consistent output
- Hidden formatting removed, structure kept readable

This is the lowest-effort way to stop broadcasting “AI wrote this.”

### The Slack rule

If it looks like you wouldn’t type it, people assume you didn’t.

Normalize punctuation, keep it short, send it.

> Slack isn’t where you prove you can write.
>
> It’s where you prove you can be clear.

## The takeaway

Using AI at work is normal now.

Shipping obvious AI tells is optional.

Fix punctuation first. Then keep the structure Slack-native. That’s it.