The Artificial Enthusiasm Problem

Module 2 · Section 2 of 7

The Artificial Enthusiasm Problem

The most obvious tell: AI can’t help but manufacture excitement. It’s learned from a training diet heavy on clickbait and engagement-optimized content, and it genuinely thinks this is what compelling writing sounds like.

You’ll see it everywhere. Phrases like “the answer surprised me” and “here’s what blew my mind” pepper AI text like confetti at a mediocre party. “Plot twist” introduces information that isn’t actually surprising. “The crazy part?” signals enthusiasm the model doesn’t feel because it can’t feel anything. And then there’s “delve into” — a phrase that’s become so associated with AI that it’s almost a signature.

The research on this is dramatic. A Finnish study analyzing 56,878 essays found “delve” usage increased 10.45-fold post-ChatGPT. Georgia Tech’s analysis of 168.3 million academic articles tracked it going from 0.31–0.56 mentions per 1,000 papers (2018–2022) to 7.9 per 1,000 in Q1 2024 — roughly 14–25 times the baseline. When a word explodes like that, it’s not because researchers suddenly got excited about delving — it’s because AI did.

This happens because LLM training data includes massive amounts of clickbait. The model thinks creating artificial suspense equals compelling writing. It doesn’t. It’s exhausting.

The fix is brutally simple: just state your finding directly.

❌ “The answer surprised me: clarity mattered more than content.”

✅ “After all that, I found out that the clarity of my message mattered more than the content.”

The second version has more impact because it doesn’t waste energy manufacturing suspense that isn’t earned.

Motivational Poster Language

Then there’s the sweeping declarations that sound impressive but mean nothing. “This is what separates people who use AI from people who master it.” “The winners will be those who embrace change.” “This changes everything.”

Business books and LinkedIn posts overflow with this language, so AI thinks it sounds authoritative. What it actually sounds like is someone who’s never had to implement any of this in the real world.

Make specific claims instead. Just explaining the actual difference is better than a generic comparison. Drop the motivational framing entirely if it’s not adding value.

Manufactured Enthusiasm in the Mechanics

Finally, there’s manufactured enthusiasm baked into the writing itself. Intensity modifiers everywhere: “And honestly?” opening paragraphs. “The real game changer?” signaling points. “You absolutely need to…” adding false urgency. Excessive italics for emphasis scattered throughout like desperate highlighting.

These emphasis markers and rhetorical questions appear frequently in persuasive writing, so AI overuses them because it can’t distinguish genuine excitement from generic intensification.

❌ “And honestly? That’s when it clicked. This was incredibly important.”

✅ “I realized the approach needed to change.”

The second version trusts the reader to understand significance without being told how to feel about it.

Why This Is So Detectable

Real excitement is specific. When someone’s genuinely blown away by something, they tell you exactly what happened and why it matters. They use concrete details. They make you understand their reaction through the content, not through intensity markers telling you they’re excited.

AI-generated enthusiasm is the opposite — it’s all performance, no substance. It tells you something is surprising, game-changing, or incredibly important without ever showing you why. And that gap between claimed emotion and actual content? That’s what your instinct picks up on, even if you can’t immediately articulate what feels wrong.