Don't Write Like AI (6 of 101): Why "In Today's World" Is a Red Flag
"In today's competitive business environment..."
No, that’s not it.
"As businesses navigate the evolving landscape of..."
Still wrong.
"With the rise of AI efficiency..."
Dangit! These intros are the worst.
If you've ever used AI to write, you've certainly encountered its go-to, vague openings that indicate something is changing.
I've read these hundreds of times and still encounter them a few times a week in other people's content. Newer AI users don't recognize it as an obvious AI tell because it was once an okay opening...a few years ago.
Today, it screams AI wrote this. It's always on my edit list.
In this post, I’ll show why AI relies on these openings, what they look like, and how to prompt better intros that sound like you.
Why These Generic Intros Kill Your Content
There are lots of ways AI starts content with a thud, like cheesy metaphors, overly casual questions, and salesy hype.
But this one’s the most common: the vague “something’s changing” setup. I call these vague-change intros.
In the last post we talked about red flag phrases. Well, the "vague-change intros" wear the crown. It's the worst offender. Let's talk about why this opening exists, variations, and how to prompt it out.
Why Gen AI Defaults to These Intros
So why does AI write this type of intro? Two big reasons:
1. It doesn’t know what it’s going to write before it writes it.
Because ChatGPT writes one token at a time, it doesn’t know where the piece is going. So it opens with something safe.
That's one of the huge limitations of gen AI as it writes. Generic openings are a way for AI to “play it safe” when it doesn’t fully understand the direction of the piece. But playing it safe often means writing something that says nothing.
One day, maybe the LLM will be able to think over what it wrote to improve it. Or maybe there will be a truly superior writing software. But, I'm not aware of that, yet.
I want to call out that this process of writing intros last is exactly how I was taught to write. Write intros after you have written the entire piece. Then, you'll have more context for the tone and content.
2. It's trained on boring patterns.
By default ChatGPT likes to play it safe with writing. On the billions of text openings it's trained on, these are the most consistent and safe.
So, you have to prompt to get openings outside of this boring, consistent output.
The more general output is what I call the "Consensus Middle™." This is the zone where most AI-generated writing lives. It’s safe, boring, and forgettable. If you want to stand out, you need to break out of that middle.
Gen AI companies are working on this. Maybe GPT-5 changes the game. But for now, you’re still stuck in the boring middle.
If your examples avoid vague-change language, ChatGPT is less likely to use it. But, it’s not guaranteed.”
What These Openings Look Like
Before we get into the prompting and workflow solutions, let's get surgical on what these vague-change intros look like.
To help you spot them, here’s a list of common vague-change phrases:
- In today’s competitive business environment…
- As the digital landscape continues to evolve…
- With the rise of artificial intelligence…
- In an increasingly fast-paced world…
- As organizations adapt to changing demands…
- With innovation at the forefront of modern business…
- As companies strive for greater efficiency…
- In today’s rapidly changing technological environment…
- As industries undergo digital transformation…
- With data playing an increasingly vital role…
- In a world driven by automation and analytics…
- As the future of work continues to take shape…
For my more formula-minded readers, the formula goes something like this:
As [broad trend] continues to [vague verb], [industry or audience] must [generic goal].
It's a safe formula. Gen AI loves to use it.
I want to quickly call-out that there isn't anything particularly wrong with the formula. But please, please put specifics into the writing. If AI writes it and you like the idea, just make it slightly more specific.
Before and after a vague to specific intro sentences
Before with a vague-change intro:
In today’s fast-paced business landscape, efficiency is more important than ever.
After with a less generic opening:
“Last quarter, 47% of teams missed deadlines due to slow handoffs. Here’s how better systems fix that.”
The first line gestures at a problem. The second one shows it, with real data and a clear point.
Note: I'm assuming you're avoiding the negation format at all costs. It's a given that "it's not x, it's y" shouldn't be in the opening.
Prompting Techniques to Avoid Vague Openings
You can get better intros from AI, you just have to steer it. Here are three ways to prompt around the generic default.
1. Initial prompt nudge
I would recommend a simple prompt nudge from AI. Since intros require a high level of understanding and creativity, you don't want an aggressive prompt that may limit its creativity.
Consider including an initial prompt instruction like:
Avoid vague setups like “In today’s world” or “As businesses strive to” — say something specific, like an example, opinion, observation, or concrete detail.
2. Reference-based prompting
To train ChatGPT on your type of writing, give it a few examples of intros that match your voice, tone, and specificity. You don’t need to explain why the examples are good, just paste them in and say something like:
“Use the attached examples as a reference. Match the tone, structure, and level of specificity.”
This helps the model break out of the “Consensus Middle™” and mimic something more aligned with your actual style. If your references don’t include vague change-setup intros, ChatGPT is much less likely to generate one.
Even 2–3 solid samples can dramatically improve the output.
3. Post draft prompt
My go-to. The intro is so important, I'll spend quite a bit of time trying to get it right.
Once the piece is done, I prompt the AI to revisit the intro now that the full context is clear.
I try to consider the audience and tone. I'll also remind AI of the audience and goal of the content when it's reworking the intro. I may go through 10-20 iterations with direction to get the right info and voice.
Again, I'll say that this process mirrors how a person writes. Write the intro last. Why not treat AI with a similar workflow?
Follow up prompt:
Rewrite the intro now that the piece is complete — open with a real example, stat, or sharp observation that reflects the core message, and cut any generic framing.
Tip: If you start a new chat mid content creation, then you'll want to remind the LLM of who your audience is and purpose of the piece. That will reset its context for the writing.
Final Take
The “In today’s world…” intro is a symptom of vague, predictable writing. AI leans on it when it doesn’t know what else to say.
Don’t let that be your first impression. A strong intro earns attention and builds trust. It tells readers they’re in good hands.
So write the body first. Then write the intro with purpose. Give it your voice. Make it count.