How these are written

Every post here has a small badge at the top saying how AI was involved: written by hand, dictated and transcribed, AI-assisted, or written by AI. It's one line of frontmatter on each post, so it can't drift from the truth.

Most of what I publish is AI-assisted, and I don't want that word to be vague. Here's what it actually means for me.

I keep a voice profile. It's a plain document of how I write: the words I use and the ones I won't, no em-dashes, a single word in CAPS when something needs the weight, short sentences where they earn it and longer ones where they don't, a real analogy when it helps and none when it doesn't. I didn't invent it. I read my own posts back and wrote down what was already there.

For an assisted post, the AI drafts to that profile and then I go through it. Most of the time that means every line: I cut the parts that sound like a robot, fix the rhythm, kill any word I'd never say out loud, and rewrite anything that isn't true to what actually happened.

But I'd be lying if I said every post gets that pass. Some I work over hard. Some I let the AI take the wheel, read once, and ship. The care varies, and I'm not going to pretend it doesn't. That's the whole reason the badge exists: so I don't have to round up.

Written by hand means I typed every word myself. AI-assisted means I directed the piece and edited it, but AI helped draft. Written by AI means I let it drive and did a lighter pass. The badge is my honest read on how much of me is actually in it.

The robot helps. Sometimes it drives. The badge tells you which, and that part is always true.