- AI writing often overuses em-dashes and alien vocabulary like 'load-bearing', 'gated', and 'belt-and-braces'.
- AI frequently attributes agency to powerless objects, e.g., saying a lateral join 'rides' an index or code 'moved out'.
- Humans would not describe code hunks as 'clear blends' or use such agentic language for inanimate things.
- The author hypothesizes AI may be pushing 'ontological egalitarianism', treating all objects as agentic.
- These tics stem from AI training emphasizing active voice, which is inappropriate for technical descriptions.