6-steps to avoid “AI slop” (and keep your work yours)

Toolkit 🧰 Type: Checklist ✅

Using an agent doesn’t have to make your work sound like everyone else’s.

This 6-step checklist will help keep your work specific, reflect your perspective and experience, and be recognisably “you.”

The checklist

  • 1. Start with your intent

    If you only tell the agent what to do, you’ll get the most generic version of it.

    Include who it’s for, what you’re trying to achieve, and ask for options.

    Generic prompt:
    “Write me a LinkedIn post about AI and productivity.”

    Result: something that could have been written by a thousand other people.

    Tailored prompt:
    “I want to write a short post for people in tech who feel overwhelmed by AI.
    Aim: to reassure and give one practical thing to try this week.
    Tone: calm, no hype, slightly funny.
    Can you suggest 3 possible angles and a rough structure for each?”

    👉 Think: “What am I actually trying to achieve?” and include that.

  • 2. Add your lived experience

    Give real details from your life or work so the output isn’t just a bland template.

    Generic prompt:
    “Write a blog post about using AI for travel planning”

    Tailored prompt:
    “Write a short blog post about using AI for travel planning.
    Real detail to include: I’m planning a solo trip to India and used AI to find a co-living space in the Himalayas.”

    👉 Think: “What have I seen / felt / done?” and include some specific details.

  • 3. Decide who drafts first (you or the agent)

    Different people like different ways of working – choose your workflow to fit you.

    Two simple options:

    Agent-first:
    “Draft a first version of this, then I’ll edit and add my own examples.”

    Human-first:
    “Here’s my rough draft. Help me tighten structure, clarify key points, and suggest where a personal story would land best.”

    Either way, you’re avoiding “AI slop” because you’re clear about the role, with the agent as a drafting / editing partner.

    👉 Pick the workflow you’re more comfortable with now and experiment with the other one later.

  • 4. Co-edit, don't copy-paste

    Treat the output as a starting point, not a finished product.

    Ask the agent to help you refine.

    Example prompts:

    “Tighten this so it fits under 200 words.”

    “Highlight one sentence as the key takeaway.”

    “Suggest a punchier opening line, without changing the core message.”

    Then do a pass yourself:

    Change anything that feels wrong.

    Add one or two phrases that are very “you”.

    👉 The more you co-edit, the more your work will sound like you, not just ‘general AI.’

  • 5. Create a simple "voice guide"

    This is a small investment that pays off every time.

    1. Share 2-3 things you’ve written that sound like “you”.

    2. Ask the agent to summarise your tone and style.

    3. Edit or add any additional details.

    4. Save and paste into new chats.

    Example prompt:

    “Use my voice guide:
    -Plain language, no buzzwords
    -Calm, reassuring, lightly funny
    -Prefer shorter sentences and concrete examples
    -Avoid hype and big promises”

    👉 Use a simple voice guide to help your agent sound more like you

  • 6. Ask for a next step or a small 'stretch'

    If you only ever ask for the one thing, you’ll miss half the value: agents can help you move the work forward. 

    Example prompts:

    “Suggest one way to push this 10% further”

    “Suggest a follow-up idea that would go deeper on this topic“

    “What’s one simple next step I could take from here?”

    You won’t use every suggestion – but the ones you do choose will keep your work evolving.

    👉 Use AI to stretch your options – you decide which ones to follow