Hi Reader,

A year ago, LinkedIn declared war on the em dash.

For the record, I love the em dash. I will forever be waving the flag of the em dash. If there was an em dash brand, I'd buy all their stuff. I will never let it go. I will never give it up. Em dashes are the best.

*ahem*

Back to the war.

Everyone said the em dash was an "AI tell." And it still is. But there's a bigger boogieman out to get you.

The Real Pattern

Look at these sentences:

• "It's not about productivity. It's about leverage."

• "It's not the tool. It's the thinking."

• "It's not the algorithm. It's the authenticity."

Feel that? Sound familiar?

It's called "contrastive negation."

And AI loves it.

Why AI Falls Into This Trap

When AI writes comments—*gratuitous em-dashery*—especially on LinkedIn—it needs to sound like it's adding value.

But without rich context, it doesn't have a lot to work with.

So it repeats the post's ideas in a format that feels profound. But says nothing new.

"It's not X. It's Y."

Same structure. Zero insight.

The Caveat

This isn't a perfect detector.

Humans use this pattern too. (Like the em dash.)

But when you see it over and over? Same structure. Same emptiness.

*yawn*

Two Things to Take Away

1. If you're using AI and want to sound human: Build guardrails that catch this pattern. Search your drafts for "It's not X, it's Y" structures. Ask yourself: does this add insight, or does it just sound like it does? (A brand voice guide makes this 10x easier.)
2. 2. When you spot it in the wild: It doesn't prove AI. But it should raise an eyebrow.

The Secret Code

Next time you see contrastive negation in content or comments, play with it. Leave a reply that overuses the em dashes.

That'll be our signal.

We don't need an AI witch hunt.
But we do need play.
It's the most human thing.

Keep building,

-Dan

P.S. Want help building AI workflows that enhance your brand voice instead of erasing it? Book a call and let's talk.