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Writing Tip: If a body of writing repeats ideas and lacks a genuine progression of the thesis, it sounds like AI. Make sure your “new” ideas are actually new, and aren’t just the same idea with reordered phrasing. Insert research, opinions, quotations, and/or references to deepen your argument. Go further into the context of what you’re presenting.

One characteristic of ChatGPT is its propensity for repetition. This isn’t just about using the same word too many times, although that’s certainly a part of it. The “repetition” we’re referencing is actually more subtle and therefore, more difficult to catch and correct as a writer. 

ChatGPT often repeats ideas. Sometimes the repetition occurs in a slightly devious way, where words are shuffled around, rephrased, and presented as a new statement while in essence, saying the exact same thing. The repetition feels like a cousin of the oft-discussed “hallucination”, wherein ChatGPT presents patently false ideas as facts. 

The repetition occurs when the AI attempts to add depth or length to its response. For example, you might prompt ChatGPT to “write a few paragraphs” on a subject, without providing much context. ChatGPT lacks the human capacity for diverse experiential insights. So instead, in attempting to meet the demands of the prompt, it cycles through its limited set of known responses. As a result, the text can feel uncanny, like it's going in circles.Here’s an illustration of this phenomenon. Take, for example, the original phrase: "Incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine can significantly improve your overall health. It boosts cardiovascular health, enhances mental well-being, and aids in weight management."

Chat GPT might then go on to say: "Improving your health can be as simple as engaging in daily physical activities. These activities contribute to better heart health, improve your mood, and help you manage your weight effectively." There’s not a single new idea in the second statement, but it’s presented as a progression of the initial statement. 

Good human writing requires both synthesis and critical thinking. First, you synthesize information. Then, through the vehicle of critical thinking, you generate new ideas. This process requires creativity and analysis. While ChatGPT is highly efficient at the synthesis stage, it’s very limited at the critical thinking stage.